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LIFESTYLE

e thought it would be fun to ask the
LOVE PAWS WAnthony Roux, more about how the
organiser of the Love Paws concerts,
initiative was started. Here’s what he had to say:
ROCKING THE AA: Anthony, how did you get involved in

this initiative?
AR: We got a rescue dog from one of the
CITY FESTIVAL beneficiaries and I started chatting to the
volunteers and doing some research into this
sector. What I found was extremely disturbing.
The stories from the volunteers were
heart-breaking and seeing all the innocent,
abandoned and abused animals really inspired
me to try and make a difference. It is roughly
estimated, (as there are no official statistics),
that every year in SA over 1 million cats and
dogs are put down. That equates to over 2 700
animals a day! Some people even estimate
that this figure is much higher at over 3 500 a
day. Considering how much I and other people
love their pets, I found this extremely upsetting.
There is no government or other assistance
in this sector at all and all of these institutions
rely on individual and corporate donations/
sponsorships to run their facilities. So I decided
to try and see if we could create a sustainable
music event, where all the proceeds go to the
animal rescue and rehabilitation sector.

AA: What’s been the track record of the
concert - where did you start?
AR: The concert started 4 years ago at the
Hey everybody! Nirox Sculpture Park in Kromdraai (near
Muldersdrift), and we attracted around
The Love Paws 4 500 people with 3 acts. The next year, we
attracted 1 500 people, again at Nirox, with
5 acts and unfortunately ran out of capacity,
Concert is coming which necessitated the move. Last year was
disappointing – we only had 1 300 attendees
up, so make sure to see the 6 great acts. The capital expenditure
was also too high and resulted in no money
being raised for the charities. What people
you get your tickets!! don’t realise is that, to put on a concert of this
size costs in the region of R1,2m. Some may
ask why not just give that to the charities, but

RIVERSANDS FARM • 28 MARCH 2020 • 8 AM – 8 PM • 8 FABULOUS ACTS TO BLOW YOU AWAY

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