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The Meaning of Headlines: Fur Ball - charity event






The Fur Ball is not what you think – no one was wearing fur. This edition of The Meaning of Headlines is not a newspaper headline, but a charity event headline. The Fur Ball is a celebratory evening to raise money for animal charities around the world. But what really is a fur ball?


Australia’s inaugural 2016 ‘Fur Ball: Cough it Up for the RSPCA’, held by Duesburys Nexia on 12 November in Canberra, Australia, was an evening to support the RSPCA – the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 

The RSPCA in Canberra, established in 1956, has just celebrated its 60th birthday. Located in all states of Australia, the RSPCA helps, protects, and advocates for better welfare for animals, particularly animals in local communities – both domestic and native animals.

The RSPCA in Canberra anticipates that in 2017 about 6,000 animals will go to the RSPCA shelter for care. RSPCA wil answer 2,000 animal cruelty complaints, prepare 300,000 meals, clean 125,000 kennels and cages, desex thousands of pets, walk 20,000 kilometres exercising dogs, and possibly prosecute 15-20 owners for cruelty and neglect of their animals.

RSPCA in Canberra (the Australian Capital Territory) has the best animal welfare statistics in Australia – with no animals euthanised for lack of space – because they are all cared for, by a small team of staff and lots of volunteers.

The event is called a Fur Ball for a number of reasons. Animals, especially pet animals, mainly have fur, the coat of soft hair covering the animal. A ball is an evening dance or charity event.

A fur ball – in animals – is the accumulation of fur that builds up in an animal’s stomach. The fur is swallowed when an animal, mainly cats, groom and clean themselves. It is most common in long-haired cats. When the fur ball gets too big in the cat’s stomach, it vomits it up and out.

Scorecard is 100%. The charity event’s theme ‘Fur Ball: Cough it Up for the RSPCA’ is a reference to animal fur balls and also to give up some money for charity. People did cough up: the event raised $33,000 for the RSPCA.

http://nexiafurball.com






MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).


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