In February, a video surfaced showing two men brutally beating and stabbing a dog named Benjie to death in Cape Town. Since then, more instances of horrific animal abuse have surfaced, with the Cape Of Goodhope SPCA (CoGH SPCA) noting at least two more stabbings and three instances of dogs being shot in August alone.
An example of this is Savage, a heroic dog who leapt to her owner’s defense during a violent drive-by shooting. Her owner died as a result of the shooting, and her loyalty left her with a bullet in her hindquarters.
“Thankfully we could treat Savage who is now recovering at home,” says Tara McGovern, CoGH SPCA spokesperson. “Since the horrific and brutal stabbing of Benjie there can be no question that violent crimes against animals are on the rise.”
“On August 1, 2019, Adi the dog was fatally injured during an allegedly unprovoked attack on her and her owner’s brother. She sustained multiple stab wounds across her body as the assailants chased after her, knocked her down with their vehicle and then pulled her into their car to continue the stabbing,” she adds. “The last moments of Adi’s life saw her reacting in happiness when her owner arrived on the scene. Although she couldn’t breathe properly and was no doubt in extreme pain, she still wagged her tail at the sight of her owner and the sound of her voice.”
On the August 7, 2019, the CoGH SPCA received word that a dog and owner had been shot in Belhar. The post mortem revealed that the dog died due to severe hypovolemic shock as a result of the high velocity sharp force trauma caused by the gunshot wound to the dog’s thorax. No bullet was found as there was an exit wound.
Mere days ago, Dutches, a young male German Shepard, was admitted to the CoGH SPCA’s Animal Hospital after allegedly being shot by a uniformed army official who was assisting police with the execution of a search warrant in Rocklands. Dutches’ owner said that he clearly heard his lodger state that the dog was friendly, only to hear a shot fired thereafter. Dutches will be returned to his home once he has recovered from his ordeal.
“On August 27, we admitted Judas – an adult male Pitbull – into our animal hospital after he had allegedly been stabbed at least 6 times. His owner has no idea why someone did this to his pet but is thankful that our Mobile Clinic was able to bring Judas into facility where he will get the treatment he needs,” McGovern says.
Post mortem / Vet reports will be submitted to the relevant branches of the South African Police Services to be added to existing dockets, where applicable, and the CoGH SPCA will either be laying charges in respect of contraventions of the Animals Protection Act No. 71 of 1962 directly or will be providing guidance to SAPS in terms of the same.
“Society, it seems is in serious trouble,” she adds. “There is nothing that can justify violent attacks on animals. Please rally with us as we fight, not only to put an end to animal cruelty but also to restore the very moral fabric of society. Animal cruelty and human violence are inextricably linked – you can’t have one without the other.”
Picture: Pixabay