UPDATE: Dog fighting takes place in Duduza
The police today (Tuesday) confirmed that the alleged "dog fighting" was not at a school in Springs.
It recently came to light that the alleged dog fighting took place at a primary school in Duduza.
On Monday a national newspaper broke the story about children imitating dog fighting at a primary school in Springs last year.
Springs station commander Brigadier Thembeka Gwebushe was shocked about the allegations.
Upon further investigation she discovered that it is in fact a school in Duduza and not a Springs primary school as the newspaper alleged.
She has contacted the provincial police department and the relevant information will be passed to the Addie when answers are received from the department.
Inspector Wendy Wilson, from the National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) told the Addie that she received a phone call from the school’s principal during June last year, informing her of the “dog fighting” at the school.
Wendy said she witnessed the children fighting when she went to the school.
Children as young as nine years were imitating the fighting.
Her investigations revealed that the children were first exposed to the activity of dog fighting by either older children or adults in the community.
They then re-enact it when they are at school.
The children are allegedly also encouraged to bet on these fights, involving the children going down on all fours, growling and snapping at one another, and in some instances bite and scratch one another.
Wendy also said as a prize the winning child fighter allegedly receives a younger child with whom they are encouraged to “mate”.
Wendy says it doesn’t matter how people perceive dog fighting or the children imitating it, it is still a form of organised crime.
Read more about the alleged dog fighting.
Dog fighting is an organised crime.
A local psychologist says dog fighting can cause harm to children.
