WESTERN CAPE. – A man (69) was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with animal cruelty after two dogs were found dead at a property in Factreton, Cape Town. One of the dogs was buried under a tree, while the other was found dead in a water tank.
The Cape the Good Hope SPCA says they received a complaint around 15:00 after a witness heard a dog crying in a green JoJo water tank. The dog was, according to the witness, still alive and in distress. The witness offered to take the animal, but the man on the property allegedly refused and said the dog must be left alone.
An SPCA inspector was initially unable to gain access to the property. The City of Cape Town's law enforcement officers from the animal control support unit were called in. With the owner's permission, they were eventually able to enter the premises. The man told inspector Siviwe Noko, who is leading the investigation, that the dogs were sick and that he had put them in the tank to bathe them. He pointed out where one of the dogs was buried. Officers found the body of a black and brown dog wrapped in a towel and placed in a black plastic bag under a tree. A second dog, a small brown and black mixed breed, was found dead in the water in the tank.
Both dogs' bodies were taken by the SPCA for post-mortem examinations and further investigation. The man was taken to Kensington police station and was expected to appear in the Cape Town magistrate's court on Friday.
The SPCA is appealing to the public to report cases of suspected animal cruelty. Anyone who hears or sees an animal in distress can contact the Cape the Good Hope SPCA during office hours on 021 700 4158 or 021 700 4159. Emergency cases after hours can be reported on 083 326 1604.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
