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- Bogus inspectors demanding that pit bull owners hand over their dogs is a scam, the NSPCA has warned.
- The NSPCA and the Sizwe Kupelo Foundation also warned people against fake adverts about a bounty for people who capture the animals.
- A petition that was launched on 7 October is calling for a ban against pit bulls and it has garnered more than 44 000 signatures.
A message claiming that people will get a R1 500 reward for capturing pit bulls or reporting households where the dog breed is kept, is nothing but a scam, the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) and Sizwe Kupelo Foundation have warned.
They urged South Africans to refrain from handing over the dogs to scammers masquerading as SPCA inspectors.
The foundation started an online petition on 7 October to have pit bulls banned as domestic pets in South Africa, and the SPCA has called for strengthened regulations and controls for those who keep and breed the animals, which some believe to be aggressive and dangerous.
READ| 'They should not be kept as pets': Foundation calls for castration, sterilisation of pit bulls
The petition, sparked by a spate of deadly pit bull attacks across the country, has garnered more than 44 000 signatures so far.
The NSPCA said the "bounty" post, which is from an unverified government Twitter account, was highly questionable, given that it contained no contact information.
It also warned of a second scam involving people who impersonate SPCA personnel and demand that people hand over their pit bulls.
"This is also a scam. The SPCA is NOT going door-to-door and demanding that people hand over their pit bulls," it said.
ALSO READ| 'Pit bulls are not the problem': Counterpetition launched as owners fight to keep pets
The organisation added:
The Sizwe Kupelo Foundation has distanced itself from the posts.
Foundation founder and patron Sizwe Kupelo described the posts as "fake news".
ALSO | Neighbours at war over pit bulls attack
The foundation urged people to support its petition calling for the ban of the breed.
When it reaches 50 000 signatures, the petition will be handed over to Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza, in the hope that the government will heed its call to protect and save lives by banning the breed, the foundation said.
"We are calling on people not to be misled by the social media posts which say people who report homes with pit bulls will be paid between R1 500 and R2 500. Let us put more pressure on government and speak in one voice: ban the wild animals known as pit bulls now."
It added that too many lives had already been lost, and that survivors of attacks have been scarred for life.
Editor's Note: In the original version of this article, it said the NSPCA supported the ban on pit bulls. This was not the case and the article has been changed to reflect this.
