Angry residents, stab, stone and burn three pit bulls after they mauled a girl

Aggrieved community members in Gatesville and Athlone have stabbed, stoned and burnt three pit bulls after the dogs attacked a young girl during the weekend.

The Cape of Good Hope SPCA said this was the second incident of dogs being set alight in one weekend.

According to reports, the aggressive breeds mauled the young girl in a Gatesville field and the child was rushed to a nearby hospital after sustaining severe injuries.

“The community took matters into their own hands and attacked the dogs – stoning, stabbing and hitting the animals with various objects before burning them to death,” said SPCA Inspector Jeffrey Mfini.

Mfini was the one who was alerted to the scene and extinguished the fire but the pit bulls had already died.

Jaco Pieterse, Chief Inspector of Cape of Good Hope SPCA, appealed to residents to refrain from brutally killing the power breed if they behave aggressively or attack someone. 

“It is tragic that a child was harmed and in turn, the animals were brutally attacked. No dog should be roaming the streets. Responsible pet owners should ensure their animals are kept within their properties. If your home is not adequately fenced, don’t get a dog,” Pieterse said.

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Three-year-old mauled to death

The anger of the community may have been fueled by an incident that happened in Sekoti Mpate near Hennenman in Free State, where another pit bull viciously mauled a three-year-old boy to death.

The incident occured on Sunday morning, where the child

was savagely attacked by a neighbour’s pit bull, while playing with other children.

Police spokesperson Captain Stephen Thakeng said the owner removed the dog from the child but it was too late. Disgruntled residents took the dog and burnt it to death.

Pit bull ban petition

Since the start of November, there have been increased incidents where the aggressive breed mauled children to death, mostly in unprovoked attacks.

The petition to have the breed banned is in the wake of these attacks.

Over 100 000 people are in support of South Africa joining countries like Russia, Finland, Denmark and the United Kingdom, who have either banned or imposed restrictions on owning the breed.

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