Plett hound found hanging from tree

A horrific act of animal cruelty last week sent shockwaves through the Plettenberg Bay community after a dog was found strung from a tree where it was left to die.

Plettenberg Bay Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) inspector Tracey van der Bijl said they had been alerted by the public of a dog hanging from a tree in Ladywood just outside Plettenberg Bay on Wednesday 11 July. “When one of our inspectors arrived, he found the dog, but unfortunately the dog had already died. In fact, it looked like the dog had been left there for several days,” Van der Bijl said.

She added that this was not the first time such an incident happened in Ladywood. Van der Bijl made a similar grisly discovery in 2015 after a property owner in the area notified her that he had seen the animal in the tree.

‘Animal was alive’

When she arrived the dog was still warm which indicated that it had been a recent incident. At first Van der Bijl thought that the dog had been caught in a snare but upon closer inspection realised that someone had strung the dog up. She believed the dog had been alive when they did so as there had been scratch marks on the tree and the dog had a bowel movement.

Both matters were reported to local police. “Following the last incident, it was established that young children were paid to do it. The children were all minors and the case therefore went nowhere.” She appealed to the public to come forward if anyone knows anything about the latest incident.

In the meantime, locals have started an online petition in an attempt to bring a local man to justice over alleged animal abuse.

The man, who cannot be named as he has not yet been indicted with animal crueltyrelated charges, is known around Plettenberg Bay for his attempts to sell what is believed to be stolen dogs, to residents and visitors.

Man ‘tormenting Plett community’

Often the buyers feel sorry for the animals and pay him to get the dogs away from him.

According to the petition, the man had “tormented the entire community of Plettenberg Bay” by allegedly stealing animals and then either “walking them through town in various states of ill health or trying to sell puppies to unsuspected people”.

The petition further reads that if the man does not get his way and is able to sell the animals, he threatens to kill or harm them.

“The time has come for the police, municipal law enforcement, animal care and those who can make a difference to intervene and help the community find a solution.”

The petition had garnered more than 800 signatures by the time of going to print.

Van der Bijl said the problem is that unless the owners of the dogs come forward and report their animals as stolen, there is very little they can do. “We have responded many times and in most cases, the animals are in relatively good condition. Often the animals are in a better state than him.”