Cape Town - Hanover Park residents took matters into their own hands for a good cause as they nabbed a suspect for allegedly setting dogs up for a fight at Surran Street before calling The Cape Of Good Hope SPCA to the scene.
SPCA’s Inspector Lwazi Ntungele responded to a complaint informing them about dogfighting in progress.
One suspect was caught and a dog, the victim of dogfighting, was seized and rescued.
Other suspects, believed to be teenagers, fled the scene.
“A severely injured pitbull bitch was found at the scene. The dog had multiple bite wounds all over her face, muzzle and right forelimb. It is evident that this is not the first time this dog was used for dogfighting. The dog was taken to a 24-hour veterinary practice for immediate examination and treatment.
“The suspect was taken to Philippi police station where he was detained and charged in terms of Section 2A of the Animals Protection Act. The SPCA is following up on leads to trace the rest of the suspects so that they can also be arrested and charged,” reported the SPCA.
Chief Inspector Jaco Pieterse said it was inspiring to see a community come together to end the cruel and illegal activity of dogfighting.
“We are heartened by the actions of this community. This collective effort demonstrates a strong commitment to animal welfare and a desire to create a safer and more compassionate environment for both animals and people.”
Hanover Park Community Police Forum’s Kashiefa Mohammed said it was common in their community to find a group of youngsters gathering and setting up dogs to fight each other until one was dead.
“Dogfights are unacceptable in our community. Already we are sitting with other forms of violence, and these kids take dogfighting as some type of game because there’s money involved, the dog that wins the fight, its owner gets prize money. The police need to look into this trend.”
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said Philippi police were investigating a case in terms of the Animal Cruelty Act. The investigation followed the opening of a case by the SPCA of an incident that occurred on an open field in Surran Street, Hanover Park, on Monday.
siviwe.melapi@inl.co.za