People across Cornwall urged to 'scoop the poop' and tackle dog mess problem
The National Animal Welfare Trust in Hayle is running a campaign over the bank holiday weekend
People across Cornwall are being urged to 'scoop the poop' and help tackle the issue of dog mess.
The National Animal Welfare Trust (NAWT), based in Hayle, says that with the increase in the number of dog owners due to 'lockdown puppies', the problem of dog poo on our streets is getting worse.
Following the charity's 'Nab it, Bag it, Walk it, Bin it' campaign it is now holding an event over the bank holiday weekend to make sure everybody plays their part.
Over the Weekend of Saturday May the 1st and Sunday May the 2nd they are asking groups of up to six people to choose a local area and simply ‘scoop the poop’ they find there.
The NAWT will provide everything you need including bags, gloves etc (and a few added goodies!) and says 'hopefully seeing the amount still left on our streets and rural areas will help further hammer home how urgent this problem is'.
"Having launched this event on April 7th, surprisingly there have been very few offers to help and get involved in this event. With it being such a talking point on social media we truly thought more would want to get involved. We are therefore asking as many as possible to reach out to us and help clean up our streets and SCOOP THE POOP! Even if you only have 30 minutes over the weekend, let us know and we will provide you with everything you need. BECO Pets have also kindly offered a prize bag for one team who will be chosen at random after the event and provided us with all the poo bags we could need!
"It doesn’t matter if there’s 1 or 6 of you, every little helps and we need to make noise to be heard! The more attention we draw to those not picking up after their dog, the less will dare to do it! Contrary to what many believe, dog poo is not fertilizer. There are 2.3 million harmful bacteria in 1 dog poo. This is not only potentially harmful to yourself or your children, but if it gets in to water it is also a water pollutant and harmful to fish and other marine life.
"Since the beginning of the Pandemic 3.2 Million new pets have been acquired in the UK, this is over 200% more than previous years, and our streets are showing this to its fullest. There are now over 12 Million dogs in domestic homes in the UK. If just 1% do not pick up after their dog this is 120,000 dogs poos per day being left on the streets… and that’s if its 1 poo per day!
"So if you can’t stand seeing mess on our streets, join us and get involved! Pick an area close to your home if you want or a favourite place to walk. It won’t take long and makes a huge difference!"
National Animal Welfare Trust, Cornwall
To sign up please email The National Animal Welfare Trust, Cornwall a.hall@nawt.org.uk and let them know what area you wish to cover and how many of you there are. The charity will prepare a pack of everything you need.
You can find out more and support the charity here.