Animal welfare volunteers face rising online harassment in South Savo, some quit

Volunteers with animal welfare organisations in South Savo are increasingly subjected to harassment and abuse on social media, leading some to abandon their work entirely.

The phenomenon was described by Jemina Oksala, chair of the Mikkeli animal welfare association, and Maria Eiskop, communications manager at the Finnish animal welfare organisation SEY, in a report by Yle.

Oksala said that people interacting with volunteers online often seek to insult and ridicule rather than engage in discussion. The abuse is so severe, Eiskop added, that many volunteers stop doing animal welfare work altogether.

Criticism often focuses on the rescue of cats. Oksala noted that volunteers’ statements may be perceived as offensive by people whose own animal care practices are questionable. The Mikkeli association has received angry private messages, for example, when volunteers helped locate an escaped dog.

Eiskop said that rescuing cats, especially those in poor condition, can lead to accusations of being anti-cat or running a scam. Particularly in rural areas, many people believe cats should be allowed to roam free and should not be interfered with, even when they are unwell.

“A cat needs a safe home, food, care, and shelter. That is not the case if a cat roams outdoors, comes home only sporadically, or is in poor condition,” Eiskop said.

According to Eiskop, roughly 10,000 pet cats are abandoned or require help from animal welfare associations each year. Cats escape, authorities seize animals, or owners surrender them due to personal problems. Finland still has hundreds of feral cat populations that may collectively number thousands of animals.

In South Savo, the situation has improved, Oksala said, with fewer summer cats — animals acquired for the summer and abandoned in the autumn — and fewer large feral populations found. “People’s attitudes toward cats and their care have changed. More cats are being sterilised and microchipped. That means individual litters no longer grow into colonies of hundreds,” Oksala said.

Tags: animal welfare, online harassment, South Savo