UPDATE: Husky still being monitored
FARMALL – A Husky has been discovered with his legs bound with wire after he was thrown into a river.
UPDATE:
Spirit, a Husky-cross who was found in a river, east of Farmall, with horrific injuries is still receiving medical treatment for his wounds.
He is currently at the Blue Bush Animal Clinic and will stay there for monitoring and treatment until he’s recovered.
At the current moment, it has not been confirmed when he will be released but, following the initial report, many people have expressed interest in adopting him.
Intial Report
A Husky-cross has been found in a river just east of Farmall, in what is believed to have been an attempt by someone to drown the animal.
Read also: Community comes together for animals at Joburg Zoo
The dog was discovered alive when a pedestrian crossing the Watercombe Road bridge heard him yelping and investigated the noise. The Husky was discovered with his legs bound by steel wire, and the pedestrian – with help from motorists – untied the animal and rushed him to the nearest vet.
“The dog, now named Spirit by his rescuers, was exhausted, hypothermic and, apart from his wounded legs, had inhaled water,” explained Dr Shelagh Hahn, veterinarian for the Blue Bush Animal Clinic, where Spirit is being treated.
Read also: Project Hope Grass still on the go to help farm animals
One of his front paws was more badly injured than the others and had a deep cut above the wrist joint, which Hahn believes could have been caused by Spirit being caught in a wire snare. “This injury is older,” she added.
“Possibly the dog was snared and the poacher, finding something in the snare that he didn’t want to eat, then bound and tried to drown him. The other possibility is that someone tried to get rid of the dog because of the severe paw injury, which could originally have been anything from a snake bite to a deep infected wound,” she said.
Spirit was also anaemic from hookworm, which will compromise his recovery. Poaching has become a problem in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg over the last few years, as people in the area have started setting wire snares in open areas with the aim of catching birds and other animals for food. Not only is the laying of snares and traps illegal without a permit from the Gauteng Provincial Government, Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment and the written consent of the Council, but when such traps are set in public areas, they can end up injuring domesticated animals such as dogs and cats.
Read also: A year of animal rescues lead to a lack of funds
“Anyone who hears this story should be absolutely outraged,” said Debbie Kegel, an inspector at the SPCA Randburg.
“Although we don’t know what exactly happened [before Spirit was found in these circumstances], the person who did this to him could definitely be prosecuted for animal cruelty.”
Although the Blue Bush Animal Clinic is a private animal treatment centre, it does have a Charity Treatment Fund in order to help poorer clients pay for their animal’s care. If you would like to find out more, you can contact the clinic on 011 462 5839.
