Koa at Gudwulfs Pit Bull Rescue. Koa was found chained to a pole on a patch of vacant land and they suspect that she was left there for a while as she was emaciated and her skin was inflamed from parasitic and enviromental effects. They think she was used for breeding then dumped. Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen
Bloemfontein residents have handed over 49 pit bulls after an eight-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pit bull while playing at his home.
Olebogeng Mosime was playing at his Vista Park home last week Saturday when the neighbours’ pit bull jumped over the fence into his yard and attacked him.
The boy was found by the emergency personnel lying next to the garage door, already dead. The pit bull that was still in the yard was shot dead by the police.
The community surrendered their pit bulls amid calls for owners of the aggressive breed to hand them over to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty (SPCA) due to increased unprovoked attacks.
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Keshvi Nair, public relations officer at SPCA, told Sabc News that they have to now deal with the mess and repercussions of people who made reckless decisions.
“The SPCA is not government-funded. We are not going to receive a lot of funding next year either. So this is all done on limited resources. We are now once again left with having to clean up the mess of other people who made reckless and irresponsible decisions that affect animals and people,” said Nair.
Nair said the owners should be held accountable when the power breed attacks people.
“Often people think that when an attack has occurred and the dog is being euthanised, means the problem is solved. Absolutely not. You may have gotten rid of the dangerous animal but what stops the owner from tomorrow going and acquiring another animal that may turn dangerous?” added Nair.
Dogs that belong to the aggressive breed’s increased attacks on people have led to wide calls to have South Africans completely banned from owning them.
While some call for more restrictions on owning the breed, others have lambasted owners for not knowing how to handle the breed.
The residents who have handed over their pit bulls have been commended.
A petition by the Sizwe Kupelo Foundation (SKF) has garnered a lot of support online with over 87 570 people behind the pit bull ban.
“It is time that the South African government take decisive steps and impose a complete ban on the ownership of pit bulls as domestic animals. Such a move would prevent further attacks and unnecessary deaths,” said the founder of the foundation, Sizwe Kupelo.
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