Recently, rumors circulated online claiming that the "Shanghai Animal Oasis Fengxian Cat Shelter and Adoption Base" had closed down and that "800 stray cats are homeless." A reporter interviewed Guo Junwei, the director of the Animal Oasis base, who stated that the base's financial situation had also collapsed due to a break in the investor's funding chain. The base currently houses over 400 cats, with cat litter reserves sufficient for three months and a month's worth of cat food.
A social media screenshot circulating online claims that an animal oasis has closed down, leaving 800 stray cats homeless.
Currently, despite not having received two months' wages, the 10 staff members at the base are still on duty, ensuring daily operations and maintenance. Meanwhile, the base is communicating with its parent company and relevant government departments to discuss possible solutions.
The shelter's funding chain has broken down: staff are still staying at the shelter, and there's enough cat food for another month and a half.
"We only found out the day before yesterday. It was a very sudden thing, and we didn't expect it to turn out like this." Faced with the current predicament, Guo Junwei also felt somewhat helpless.
According to media reports, the animal oasis is located in Dengta Village, Xidu Subdistrict, Fengxian District, Shanghai, covering an area of approximately 30,000 square meters. The facility includes quarantine areas, adoption areas, and feeding areas, with separate living areas for kittens and adult cats. As of November last year, the facility had taken in over 600 stray cats, and more than 100 of them had found homes there.
On the afternoon of May 29, at the Animal Oasis Base. (All photos in this article, unless otherwise noted, are by Jiang Lelai, a reporter from The Paper.)
At 11:38 PM on May 28th, the official account of "Animal Oasis" released a statement, stating: "The chairman of our investor has gone missing, causing serious problems with our cash flow. This sudden event has greatly impacted our operations, plunging the Fengxian Animal Oasis Cat Shelter and Adoption Base into difficulties." The statement also indicated that they are actively seeking solutions, including but not limited to seeking new partners, launching crowdfunding campaigns, and exploring other possible self-rescue avenues.
Public information shows that on November 29, 2023, the Fengxian Cat Shelter and Adoption Base, an animal shelter under XunTa Technology, officially opened. At the opening ceremony, the founder of XunTa Technology announced that the company had secured tens of millions of yuan in angel round financing, mainly for the opening of new animal shelters and the operation of the Nearby Meow APP.
Screenshot of group chat message circulating online on social media
Guo Junwei told The Paper that the 10 staff members at the base have not yet received their salaries for April and May, but they are still working. The basic maintenance personnel are all present, ensuring the base's daily operations, and they haven't actively recruited volunteers from their volunteer groups yet. "With so many live animals, we can't just leave; we definitely want to do our best for these little lives," Guo Junwei said.
After the incident, the shelter immediately contacted the people who had previously rescued and given the cats up for adoption, hoping they could take the cats back themselves. However, there were few responses, as most of them did not meet the requirements for re-adoption.
The base was still operating normally on the afternoon of May 29.
Regarding the online rumor that "800 stray cats are homeless," Guo Junwei stated that this is inaccurate. Currently, the shelter houses approximately 400 cats. The litter supply will last for three months, and the cat food supply will last for another month and a half. The shelter's lease is for five years, but the previous rent payment only went up to September of this year.
What's next? The base has contacted interested companies, and the local government has set up a special team to resolve the wage arrears issue.
There is no definitive solution yet. Guo Junwei said that the main considerations are the financial and human resource costs. "It may be transferred to a new investor, or it may be considered to operate independently. We will also try to communicate with some non-profit organizations, hoping to sort out various feasible directions and explore the final solution through multiple channels."
It is understood that the Animal Oasis Base has already established contact with two interested companies and is expected to conduct further communication this week.
The Paper learned from Xidu Subdistrict in Fengxian District that the subdistrict attached great importance to the situation after learning about it, and relevant functional departments arrived at the scene immediately. In response to the company's current two-month wage arrears, Xidu Subdistrict has established a special working group to urge the company to pay employee wages as soon as possible. If the company fails to pay wages on time, the subdistrict will assist employees in protecting their rights in accordance with relevant national laws.
It is reported that 10 employees of the Animal Oasis base, along with 30 employees of XunTa Technology in Baoshan District, will apply for labor arbitration in Baoshan District tomorrow. Relevant departments in Xidu Subdistrict stated that they will continue to monitor the situation and provide assistance as needed.
Guo Junwei has been involved in the construction and site selection of the shelter since its inception. He witnessed the shelter's peak when it housed over 1,000 cats, and he has also watched it fall into its current predicament. In his initial vision, Guo Junwei hoped to establish an industry standard through this self-built animal oasis shelter, thereby helping more shelters form a complete system and further promoting relevant animal protection legislation.
Looking back now, he said, "Reality is harsh, and the road ahead is long and arduous." Since adoption and fostering at the animal oasis has always been free, the shelter's operation will certainly face pressure without financial injections.
If the shelter does eventually have to close, Guo Junwei said he would contact various shelters and work with relevant departments to relocate the cats to new shelters. He told reporters that if a few hundred cats were relocated, the number wouldn't be that large. "Of course, the first priority is to find a way to keep the shelter running."
