The animal protection charity has announced plans to cut staff numbers as part of a reorganization to deal with “unprecedented pressures from rising costs”.
Woodgreen Pets, based in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire, admitted that “a number of positions, equivalent to 20 full-time equivalents, are at risk of redundancy”.
The charity said in a statement that it was shifting its focus to helping more pets in people’s homes rather than rescue centres.
He added: “As always, we will remain here to rehabilitate and rehome pets in crisis.”
The charity began supporting animals in 1924, based in Wood Green, north London, and moved to Cambridgeshire in 1987.
Last year, the company announced that demand for its services increased by 18%.
In a statement, Woodgreen Pets said the proposed reorganization was “based on a comprehensive review of its business operations to ensure the long-term efficiency and sustainability of the charity”.
“Through this proposal, our goal is to increase the number of pets we help in homes, prevent them from being rescued (although this should always be a last resort), and still help more dogs, cats, to enable small animals to be adopted and rehomed at our center in Cambridgeshire. ”
The reorganization includes layoffs in the team responsible for pet services.
“We understand this is a difficult time for our staff and are doing everything we can to support them through this important consultation period,” the statement continued.
A member of the pet team, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the BBC that many long-term staff were “concerned” about the proposed changes to their contracts and about the animals.
They were also informed that some animals, including chinchillas, chickens and ferrets, would no longer be accepted.
