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KIDS WITH CROSSBOWS: NEIGHBOURHOOD PETS IN PERIL
Crossbow cat killing shocks ESMÉ ERASMUS
@erasmusesme
A
Furry love This wellloved kitten was one of a few that were vaccinated against rabies and dewormed, together with about 130 dogs, when volunteers from Fisantekraal Animal Welfare (FAW) and partners held an outreach campaign in the area last Friday. After numerous attempts to find out the identity of the boy and his kitten, TygerBurger had no luck with our efforts. PHOTO: CHRISTINE ZIETSMAN
t least one incident in which a cat was shot with a crossbow, allegedly by children, was reported in Durbanville and surrounding areas recently. The SPCA condemned the incident and stated that although parents often defend their children’s acts of animal cruelty by saying “boys will be boys”, a recent study showed that 75% of prison inmates charged with violent crimes had an early record of animal cruelty. The dead cat of Ludi Erasmus of Bella Rosa Street in Bellville was found by a neighbour under a bush in his garden on Saturday 30 September – with what appeared to be a bolt from a crossbow protruding from its body, Erasmus told TygerBurger. George, a two-year-old neutered male ginger cat, was adopted as a kitten from someone who emigrated, he said. The cat went missing on 18 September and its decomposing body was only found about two weeks later. “It’ not even as if he went out much. He was a very homebound cat and hardly went out – only as far as the neighbours,” he said. His Siamese cat also suffered a wound, which could also have been caused by a crossbow bolt, but the cat is recovering, he said. This came amid reports by Sonstraal residents on WhatsApp groups of at least two such incidents – one in which a cat was taken to the Tygerberg Animal Hospital (TAH)
in Bellville. According to the reports the cat’s chest was pierced with an arrow or crossbow bolt and had to be euthanised. This incident could not be confirmed with TAH Bellville. Others reported on WhatsApp that they saw children with a crossbow at the Sonstraal Dam, shooting at ducks, and chased the children away. People also reported that birds are being shot and their wings and feet removed. However, these incidents could not be confirmed by TygerBurger. Eloise Herbert of the Animal Anti-Cruelty League (AACL) in Bellville said many animals are brought to them – especially cats with pellet gun wounds – from all over the City. According to Belinda Abraham, spokesperson for the SPCA, they received an afterhours complaint with allegations that animals, including a cat, had been killed. “As the cat’s body has already been disposed of by the owner, there is no other evidence for the SPCA to pursue in this matter,” she said. “Teaching compassion for animals is essential to every child’s future if we are ever to hope for a society that has empathy and respect for life. “Being taught to treat animals with kindness builds moral character, and the failure to develop ethics and values in our children is something that we ignore at our own peril,” she said. V To page 2.
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