New Year fireworks lead to more stray pets – SPCA

While many households in Benoni celebrated New Year’s Eve with fireworks, several animals fled their homes because of them.

About 15 pets were taken in by the Benoni SPCA on New Year’s Eve and January 1.

According to the general manager of the Benoni SPCA, Darryn Potgieter, 11 animals have since been claimed, one having a microchip.

“We were lucky not to have had serious emergencies. We were only called out to rescue a cat from a tree, but besides that, nothing serious was reported,” Potgieter said.

The owners of missing animals can visit the society at 3 Klein Street, Lakefield, to check if their animals are there. The Benoni SPCA urges pet owners to get their animals microchipped.

What is a microchip, and how does it work?
A pet microchip uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. Radio waves transmit information to a portable scanner that can read the microchip’s data (an identification number unique to the pet).

As long as the microchip is registered, anyone who finds the animal can trace its owner and tell them that their lost pet has been found.

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