15 dogs poisoned in Joburg suburb

Johannesburg - Fifteen dogs have been poisoned in Crystal Park in Benoni, east of Johannesburg, but police are confident they have nabbed the gang responsible for this.

Tryna Maritz, of Crystal Park police station, told The Star newspaper that police confiscated an assortment of rat poisons, tinned meat, Allen keys and lick nuts stashed in the boot of a car on Monday morning.

The police were on patrol in Crystal Park, which has been hit by a series of robberies and 15 dog poisonings since March, when they spotted the car with four men inside.

The Toyota Corolla was stopped and searched and they found tinned food, poison wrapped in plastic, gloves and housebreaking tools.

The four men were due to appear in the Benoni Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.

'National problem'

The poisoning of dogs is a national problem affecting both rural and urban areas and is closely linked to organised crime, The Witness reported in May.

Some vets in Pietermaritzburg, the report says, have recorded at least three dogs a month being admitted for poisoning.

Gerhard Verdoorn, director of Griffon Poison Information Centre, said the use of aldicarb accounts for “probably more than 90% of poisoning cases” in which guard dogs are poisoned by criminals.

The remaining 10% is considered accidental such as a dog eating rat poison placed inside a house.