Why do most cattle / game farmers shoot dogs on their land?
And is it wrong for farmers to kill dogs?
As one person posted on Facebook in the comments section – When your livestock and your farm is the only thing you have, you protect it at all costs.
Just like jackal, leopard and caracal have been trapped and killed for years for taking away valuable farm animals’ lives, so dogs too pose a HUGE threat.
Feral dogs, unfortunately, do not just kill one animal for the purpose of eating.
They tear apart as many as they can. Some cattle succumb to their injuries, while others suffer until the farmer can find them and put them out of their misery.
Yes, it is terrible that these lovely dogs were shot, but ask any farmer and 99% will say the same thing. “An unknown animal on your farm is a threat; that’s the bottom line. Whether it be a cow carrying disease or a dog that is POSSIBLY a threat…”
Next time you pick up a pack of meat / milk from the shops, think for a second how hard the farmer had to work to keep that animal healthy and safe until it got to where it is now…
Over the years, the Gazette has run countless stories regarding hunting packs and vicious dogs leaving countless animals dead in their wake.
When we ran the article ‘Dogs shot dead by farmer’ in response to the story ‘Help find Doc’s missing pets’, we had no idea that Facebook would erupt with 24 comments and countless replies.
It was meant to be a tragic update on the loss of two beloved family pets, not an in-depth look at whether farmers have the right to kill animals invading their farmland. At a conservative estimate, a single cow can cost between R8000 and R50,000, depending on the type of animal. A single rabies-infected dog can tear apart a herd within minutes.
These dogs were not regular farm dogs used to being on a farm and they were not known to the farmer who shot them. They had wandered miles away and had been in the veld for over 72 hours.
If you speak to any farmer, many of them owning dogs as pets, the answer will be the same. “You cannot take the chance; stray dogs on farmland are shot. It is the only way to protect your stock.”
No farmer enjoys killing dogs, but it’s the only cost-effective counter-measure. This is a worldwide phenomenon and not something that is only found on South African farms.
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