Kabelo Tlhabanelo
At first Mohau Mlongeni thought his dog, Fly, had been in a fight because its ears were gone.
But when he looked closely he saw that both the ears had been cut off with a sharp object.
Mohau, from Hobhouse in the Free State, told Scrolla.Africa: “When I got home on Friday I saw my dog without ears. It was sitting near the gate and was in serious pain. I asked around what had happened and the people showed me the house where I could get answers.”
His investigation led Mohau to one of the neighbours whose wife confessed that her husband had committed the terrible act.
Now the man will face criminal charges after the SPCA opened a case against him.
Mohau said the woman was very cooperative.
“She told me her husband had set a trap to catch the dog. She said she tried to stop him from hurting the dog but he refused. She told me to confront her husband for further explanations.”
But when the man became violent and started swearing at him, Mohau went to the police who called the SPCA.
“I want justice for Fly. That man should feel the pain that I have felt. My dog protected my yard,” said Mohau.
Reinet Meyer of the Bloemfontein SPCA told Scrolla.Africa this was one of the worst cases of animal cruelty she had ever seen.
“Our inspectors immediately went to investigate. It was reported that a man caught a dog and removed both the dogs ears with a knife.”
She said the suspect also admitted to the inspectors that he cut off the dog’s ears, saying he did not know who the dog belonged to.
The SPCA took the dog to the veterinarian for medical attention but the injuries were very severe and the dog did not survive.
SPCA Inspector Tebogo Maswanganye said: “It seems we still have a long way to go in ending cruelty to animals. But we will never give up until justice is served for this dog.”
A case of animal cruelty has been opened against the suspect and he will appear in Hobhouse Magistrate’s Court.
