According to photos shared in the post, the land was allocated from opposite the Hiyaa Towers located in Hulhumale' second phase.
The land plot required to develop a special cat facility has been handed over to the Male' City Council.
The council said in a post on X that the Animal Welfare Ministry has handed over the land plot to Male' City Mayor Adam Azim.
According to photos shared in the post, the land was allocated from opposite the Hiyaa Towers located in Hulhumale' second phase.
Before taking the mayoral oath, Azim had promised to develop a dedicated area with essential services, including a vet clinic, to resolve the issue of the growing stray cat population. He stated that within the first two to three months of being elected as Mayor, a temporary area would be set up to take immediate action on the issue, and neutering and spaying of cats could then begin.
With the increase in complaints over the high stray cat population in Male’ and the difficulties caused by the resulting pollution, and the potential spread of disease, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, during his tenure as Male' City Mayor, had announced finding parties interested in developing a cat facility in Villimale'. Despite three announcements made at the time, no party had shown interest; however, some parties expressed their interest later, the council said.
The council had announced at the time that street cats in Male' would be transferred to a specified location after being neutered. A budget of 1.9 million was also allocated for the project at the time. However, details of the project's progression were not revealed.
The Welfare for Island Cats (WIC) has estimated that the streets of the Greater Male Region are populated with over 3000 cats. The WIC deduced that if quick measures are not taken to decrease these numbers, the stray cat population could increase to an alarming 9,000 very soon.