Dog-fighting is rife in the Cape metropole, and even with the establishment of an anti-dog fighting unit, criminals are still using these poor animals to fuel horrific fights.
On Wednesday, 9 June another dog fighter was arrested and spent the night in jail.
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA are deeply involved in eradicating this heinous crimes from the Cape Town area. They were alerted to dog fighting in the Ocean View area after a video tip-off – and immediately sought to get a warrant of arrest for the suspect.
“Chief Inspector Jaco Pieterse and Inspector Mark Syce responded to a video tip-off received yesterday, and armed with a warrant, removed 3 Pitbulls from a property in Ocean View.
“The suspect was arrested with the assistance of Law Enforcement’s Animal Control Unit and will face charges relating to the Contravention of section 2 of the Animals Protection Action No.71 of 1962,” the SPCA said in a post.
On May 31, the same team arrested two other suspects involved in dog fighting in Manenberg. The dogs were forced to fight and were kept in horrendous conditions.
Due to the high prevalence of dog-fighting in Cape Town, a unit dedicated to investigating and bringing to book criminals involved in dog-fighting rings, was established in March 2021.
The team includes City law enforcement animal control officers, welfare inspectors from the SPCA and members of the Safety and Security Investigations Unit (SSIU) – and was established after the Cape Animal Welfare Forum engaged the City about their concerns on organised and informal dogfighting.
If you have information regarding the illegal activity of dog fighting, you are urged to contact 0833261604 anonymously. The SPCA also offers a reward of R5000 if the case is successfully prosecuted.
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