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After an eight-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pit bull while playing in his yard over the weekend, people have been surrendering their dogs.
The boy from Vista Park in Bloemfontein was attacked after the dog jumped over a fence. He died on the scene after sustaining injuries to the neck and chest. After the attack, the Mangaung metro asked people to surrender their dogs.
The Bloemfontein Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said that 35 dogs were surrendered on Monday, with a total of 49 dogs surrendered by Tuesday.
The attack reignited calls for South Africa to join countries, including New Zealand and Germany, that have banned the breed.
A 10-year-old boy died from a pit bull attack in Gqeberha in September, which also sparked calls for a ban on the breed.
The Sizwe Kupelo Foundation started a petition after that incident, calling for the ban on pit bulls as domestic pets in the country. The petition had close to 98 000 signatures by Thursday afternoon.
Speaking to the SABC, the foundation's founder, Sizwe Kupelo, said that they’d set themselves a target of 50 000 signatures before they planned to hand over the petition to the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development.
Kupelo said the petition hitting almost double the number of signatures illustrated that "South Africans were tired of this vicious dog".
Section 10 of the Animals Protection Act no 71 of 1962 gives the minister authority to promulgate new regulations in terms of the petition.
"Since we launched the petition, we have been receiving testimonies from pit bull victims who were lucky to survive."
He said:
NSPCA won't support a ban
But the National SPCA (NSPCA) said it did not support the ban of any breed, “never did, never will,” Nazareth Appalsamy, the spokesperson, said.
"Owners need to take responsibility for their animals," he told City Press on Thursday. Following the launch of the petition, the NSPCA said it was in solidarity with the foundation on certain aspects.
"This is an issue where both human and animal life has been placed in danger by irresponsible people who lack the skills and knowledge required to handle power breeds," it said in a statement.
The organisation supports the petition in its calls for "all pit bulls to be castrated/sterilised, which would prevent the current rate of uncontrolled breeding. The petition also calls for stronger regulations for the keeping of pit bulls (and other power-breed animals) requiring owners to have permits to keep such animals".
"If you possess an aggressive animal, by law, you are compelled to ensure that the animal is kept within the confines of your property and in a manner that meets the needs of the animals in terms of the Animals Protection Act and the Five Freedoms,” the organisation said.
Appalsamy said it was not only people in the Free State who were surrendering their dogs, but people around the country had also been doing the same.
"Every animal received is individually assessed and then a decision is made either by a vet, behaviourist or a qualified inspector on what's in the best interest of that particular animal,” he said.
Kupela mentioned that the petition should put pressure on authorities to enforce the law to protect communities. He said:
