A sudden spike in animal poisoning cases has prompted the Newcastle SPCA to issue a stern warning to perpetrators.
The SPCA’s Heather Gero and trainee inspector, Jenavieve Tinkler, said the surge in poisonings was brought to their attention by a member of the public who recently reported the poisoning of several cats in Heuwel Lane (Hutten Heights).
“It appears that someone in the area had deliberately laced something with poison that these cats consumed. They suffered an excruciatingly painful death because of this. These were someone’s beloved pets!”, exclaimed Gero.
“This is a stern warning to this person and anyone else that ever considers using poisons to kill an animal… Should you be caught, you will be charged under the Animals Protection Act No. 71 of 1962 for your disgraceful act of animal cruelty. You will be fined and also have a criminal record.”
She added that even if an animal is ‘being a nuisance (in a neighbourhood) there was always a humane way to sort out the issue.’ “All nuisance complaints should be reported to the municipality as there are by-laws that should be enforced and people are employed to do this.”
Furthermore, she advised the following:
- If a stray cat or dog is bothering you in your yard, chase it away by spraying it with cold water from a hose pipe or a spray bottle. You would only need to do this a few times, and the animals will learn it’s not nice visiting your yard.
- If you have pets of your own, ensure that your pets are sterilized, and this will also stop stray cats from visiting your property in search of females that are in season and calling all unsterilized male cats in the area. A male can smell a female in season up to 5 kilometres away.
- By sterilizing all your pets that you wanted (remember, they didn’t ask to be with you), you are protecting them and stopping the massive amount of unwanted animals out there who are dumped on the side of the road and left to fend for themselves. These animals then run around and breed and all those babies grow up who in turn also breed. This vicious cycle is why there are so many feral cats out there and stray dogs on the roads – suffering to survive because humans were not responsible.”
- Secondary poisonings occur by laying down rat poison (meant for rodents) – this also adds to animal poisoning as birds, cats and dogs eat the rat carcasses and die as a result. “Therefore the SPCA never encourages the poisoning of any animal – there are more humane ways of getting rid of pests.
“There is no way a cat owner can keep a cat, even if sterilized, in their yard unless they lock it up in the house all day and night, which in turn prohibits the cats from expressing their natural behaviours, and this is also against the Animals Protection Act No. 71 of 1962. All animals must be allowed to express natural behaviour,” Gero stated.
She explained that most poisons were regulated, and a permit or license was required to purchase and use them.
It is known that some of these poisons are illegally sold around the taxi rank area, and should anyone be caught buying, selling, or using these illegal products, a charge can be laid together with an animal cruelty charge.
“Any person who can hurt an animal in any way does not deserve to be called a human,” said Gero.
“If you know of anyone committing these crimes, please report them to SAPS and the SPCA. Keep all evidence, photos, and videos. “All complainants’ details are strictly confidential. Speak for those that cannot speak for themselves,” she concluded.
Stray animal or nuisance animal complaints can be reported to the following departments:
- Small Pounds (cats and dogs): 034 328 7757
- Large pound (farm animals): 078 286 5606
- Municipality: 034 328 7600
- SPCA office: 034 318 2346
- Emergencies: 072 337 0347
Mornè Potgieter, head of operations at Ithemba Security, confirmed the resurgence of animal poisoning and stated that they had been informed of four dog poising incidents that had taken place over the past two weeks.
“The situation is being closely monitored while trying to determine the motivation for the poisonings. Usually, dogs are poisoned by criminals who intend breaking into a home. However, no houses have been burgled despite the animals being poisoned,” he concluded.
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