Durban – The government is urging pit bull owners to take extra care of their dogs.
The call comes just days after two mauling incidents in separate communities at the weekend.
In Gatesville in Cape Town, angry residents set alight three pit bulls that attacked a young girl on Sunday.
The girl was bitten all over her body, and angry residents chased down two of the dogs and immediately stoned them to death.
The third dog was caught within minutes and also killed.
In Henneman, in the Free State, a three-year-old boy was mauled by two pit bulls. Residents set alight one of the dogs.
A week before, an eight-year-old boy was mauled to death in Vista Park in Bloemfontein.
“It is the line of duty for every dog owner to ensure that they are always responsible, and that their dogs are never out of control,” the government said in a post on social media.
The NSPCA said pit bulls were being surrendered to their centres around the country in large numbers.
“In communities where owners have not surrendered their pit bulls, the communities are beginning to take matters into their own hands.
“Animals are being poisoned, stabbed, beaten, and set alight in retaliation from angry communities,” said SPCA public relations officer, Keshvi Nair.
The SPCA said the issue has gained the attention of political parties, unions and civic organisations which are either quoting or misquoting the NSPCA, threatening or instructing pitbull owners to surrender their dogs.
Nair said as the numbers of aggressive dogs being surrendered to SPCAs across South Africa increases, so too does the NSPCAs concern for the effect this will have on SPCAs, especially the smaller societies operating in outlying areas, as well as what will happen in the areas where there are no SPCAs.
She explained that the SPCA does not receive funding from the government.
“In addition to the vital work that SPCAs are already providing to their communities on limited resources, we are faced with dealing with this issue alone as well.
“The SPCA movement is taking action at great risk and cost to assist animals and communities.
“Realistically, the movement does not have the resources to cover the cost of this national campaign without support from other relevant role-players in this matter,” she said.
Nair said given that it was the responsibility of some government departments, the SPCA has addressed the issue with the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform to enquire what their plan and strategy.
“There is an urgent need for government intervention with regard to this issue, failing which humans and animals could be harmed at an even greater scale,” Nair said.
EFF spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys said they were exploring avenues to ensure that domestic pit bull ownership was prohibited in South Africa.
“There are many breeds of dogs which exist which can be kept and not pose a risk to other human beings, pit bulls have proven to be not such a breed not only in South Africa but in various nations across the world,” she said.
IOL