Goat used in ‘ritual sacrifice’ found with dagger in its back on Camps Bay beach

The Cape of Good Hope SPCA said on Wednesday a goat was found alive with a dagger lodged in its back on popular tourist beach Camps Bay, IOL reports.

Spokesperson Belinda Abraham said the goat, which they named Hilda, was expected to make a full recovery despite its deep wound.

The timing of the discovery of the goat on Sunday, which coincided with the Spring Equinox, led to suspicions that the goat was part of a ritual sacrifice and somehow managed to escape with her life.

“A law enforcement officer was doing standard patrols and found her on the beach in between some rocks, trying to hide there. She had already lost a lot of blood,” Abraham said.

A black dagger, with red cloth tied around its wooden handle with hair knotted into the fabric, was lodged in Hilda’s back at the time she was found.

READ MORE: Beach goat slaughter raises eyebrows

The SPCA managed to remove the dagger from Hilda at their hospital and she is now apparently recovering in a farmyard.

“Law enforcement officers came across the rather distressing sight of a goat standing among the rocks on the beach with a knife firmly implanted in its back. The officers immediately called the SPCA, who came out and rescued the animal who had lost a lot of blood,” law enforcement inspector Wayne Dyason said.

“It is suspected the animal was involved in some type of ritual that occurred during the night on the beach but managed to evade its captors. The handle of the knife was wrapped in red cloth material. Every effort will be made by the SPCA to save the animal,” he continued.

“Hilda is doing quite well and there are no issues with her mobility. We are monitoring her for secondary infections, and she seems to be thriving,” Abraham said.

She added that the stabbing of the goat as well as the refusal of the perpetrators to seek veterinary assistance were in contravention of the Animal Protection Act, and urged anyone with information about the incident to contact the organisation on 021 700 4158/9 or on 083 326 1604 after hours.

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