Three pitbulls stoned, burnt to death by mob
Terriers cornered after mauling a little child
Three pitbulls were stoned, stabbed and burnt to death by angry residents on Sunday after severely mauling a child in Cape Town.
The child was attacked by the dogs in Gatesville, Athlone.
“The dogs had attacked a young girl in a Gatesville field. The child sustained severe injuries and had to be rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment,” said the Cape of Good Hope’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
“The community took matters into their own hands and attacked the dogs, stoning, stabbing and hitting the animals with objects before burning them to death.”
SPCA inspector Jeffrey Mfini, who rushed to the scene, found the dogs burning and extinguished the flames. The dogs had succumbed to their injuries. Postmortems will be done at the SPCA in Grassy Park.
“We urge the public to contact the SPCA if a dog behaves aggressively or tries to bite someone. We will take the dog immediately. People must not take matters into their own hands. No animal deserves to endure brutality and suffering,” said the SPCA’s chief inspector Jaco Pieterse.
Dog owners who wish to surrender their pitbulls to the SPCA should contact the inspectorate on 021-700-4158/9 or 083-326-1604 after hours. Community members were urged to report cruelty to animals using the same numbers.
“It is tragic a child was harmed and the animals were brutally attacked. No dog should be roaming the streets.
“Responsible pet owners ensure their animals are kept within their properties. If your home is not adequately fenced, don’t get a dog,” said Pieterse.
There had been a flurry of incidents involving pitbulls in the past week across the country.
At the weekend, a threeyear-old boy was mauled to death by a pitbull in a neighbour’s yard in Hennenman in the Free State.
Police said the three-yearold child was certified dead at the scene after sustaining severe head injuries. The community cornered the offending dog and burnt it while another dog on the property was removed by the SPCA.
In Bethal, Mpumalanga, two siblings aged two and 14 were hospitalised after they were mauled by pitbulls on Wednesday.
The mother of the two children, Fikile Mhlapho, said: “My kids were [walking] from a salon when they were attacked. They are lucky to be alive, especially the two-yearold because the dogs even hurt her head while the older one was beaten all over the body.
“When I came home from work just before I could do anything, they came in bleeding all over their bodies and told us that they were saved by a man who was also attacked by the dogs.”
Mhlapho said her 14-yearold daughter had to drag herself to school to write exams.
The SPCA also elaborated on its stance regarding calls for the breed to be banned in SA.
“The SPCA does not support the petition to ban or outlaw pitbulls, but fully supports the motion to develop and implement stronger regulations/legislation with regard to the keeping and breeding of power breed dogs,” the society said.
“Although the SPCA movement’s mandate is the prevention of cruelty to animals and promoting good animal care, the SPCA also values human lives. Not only do people suffer from dog attacks, other animals are also victims and have been mauled to death.
“In many instances, the aggressive animals themselves have also been subjected to extreme abuse and cruelty in the manner in which they are kept [and] trained...
“This is an issue where both human and animal lives have been placed in danger by irresponsible people who lack the skills and knowledge required to handle power breeds.
“Compulsory permitting would assist to hold owners accountable for their pets.”