'Shocking cruelty' - South Africa

February 7, 2009

'Shocking cruelty'

February 07 2009 at 10:56AM

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By Fiona GoundenSPCA authorities are horrified at an incident where a Kokstad man dragged his dog behind his vehicle, and they are now putting pressure on the courts to make him pay for this "heinous crime"The man, who works as a teacher in the Mount Ayliff area near the KwaZulu Natal/ Eastern Cape border, has been charged with seven counts of contravening the Animals Protection Act after he dragged his dog behind a vehicle, then cut the rope and threw the dog into bushes. The incident occurred on January 24 alongside the main road leading from Kokstad to Franklin.SPCA national spokesperson Chris Kuch said the dog was still alive when inspectors found it.

"The culprit had decided that since the dog allegedly bit his child, that this was the acceptable punishment for the deed.This blatant, knowing and extreme contravention of the Animals Protection Act deserves the full might of the law. This action was predetermined, calculated and malicious in the extreme."Kuch said it was decided to euthanase the dog due to the severity of the injuries and their lasting effect.Reliving the "horrendous and sad" experience, Kokstad SPCA chairperson Doug Wolhuter said he and his inspectors rushed to the scene and looked for the dog for 40 minutes."When we found the dog, he was bleeding profusely from the head, mouth and body. It was one of the most shocking scenes I've even been to. The dog's tongue had been 90 percent severed near the base from being dragged along the tar."The pads of the paws were cut and grazed. The dog was immediately rushed to a vet, where he was examined and his injuries assessed, and then put down."According to Wolhuter, the perpetrator was traced through a description of his vehicle, its occupants and registration number.The vehicle was then traced to an address in Kokstad, and criminal charges were laid.Wolhuter was extremely angry, and he spoke to the courts this week and tried to put pressure on them. "I spoke with our senior public prosecutor and was informed that the investigations are still being made, as they wouldn't like the case to be struck from the court roll on any possible technicality. I will be in contact with them to monitor their progress."However, he is concerned that the case may be delayed when it goes to trial."I believe the SAPS in Kokstad and the CID unit have justice at heart, and I am of the opinion that we have to let them proceed with their investigations so we can enter a trial with a more than solid case."My concern is when the case goes to trial, which I firmly believe it will. There is a large backlog of cases in the district court of Kokstad."The shortest period I have had of an animal cruelty case being tried and someone convicted was around eight months. This is a problem, as the case loses its impetus and interest."According to Wolhuter, the offender needed to have a stiff sentence imposed on him. "He should face the full wrath of the district magisterial court and serve the maximum penalty as well as be sentenced to serve community service working with animals at an SPCA, so that we can possibly turn a negative situation into a positive one."Meanwhile, Durban SPCA inspectors are still investigating an incident where a cat was strangled in December. Denise Venter, 15, who lives on the Bluff, was traumatised when her 10-month-old kitten Nunu went missing. A week later, Denise's domestic worker made the shocking discovery of the cat hanging from a rope while working for a neighbour, Fred Hardman, 74, who lives two doors from Venter.A horrified Hardman found that the rope was coming from another neighbour's home behind his house.However, the SPCA encountered difficulty because there was no witness who had seen the incident taking place, said spokesperson Caroline Smith.

This article was originally published on page 8 of The Star on February 07, 2009