DON’T SHOOT THE DOGS
THE Animal Welfare Society of South Africa (AWS) is calling on police to use a non-lethal method when animals are a threat after three pitbulls were allegedly shot by police in three weeks during raids.
Head of Communication for AWS, Allan Perrins said that two dogs were shot in the eye and another in the cheek.
He said that the first incident took place in Manenberg when a nine-month-old pitbull was shot in the face and a second dog was shot in the right eye at close range by a Philippi policeman during a raid at a home in Hanover Park in December.
The recent incident took place on 17 January when an 11-month-old Pitbull named Girly from Tafelsig in Mitchells Plain experienced the same horrific injury when the bullet entered her left cheek, shattering her jaw, before ending up in her left front leg that needed to be pinned together.
Perrins said that it is a miracle Girly survived but has been left with life-changing injuries and may yet lose her leg.
He explains: “Whether or not there were justifiable grounds for the officer to discharge his weapon is a matter for his superiors to decide.
“Until then we are left wondering whether this was the only course of action available to the officer to diffuse a tense situation and neutralise whatever he felt threatened by”
“There are many occupations that require split-second decisions, and we implore the Minister of Police to provide his officers with the necessary expertise and tools to prevent a re-occurrence of these all too frequent tragic situations.
“I am not criticising the cops because it is not a joke raiding some of these properties because they do get shot at. But there has to be a clever way that will not cripple, blind or kill the dog.
“Why must they use bullets, can’t they use tasers and resort to the minimum amount of force to suppress the threat, not the maximum.”
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie said: “Be advised that on the said day, members attached to the local police station in collaboration with other specialised units performed integrated crime combatting operations in the precinct when they were tracing a wanted suspect at the address.”
“When one of the members entered the premises, the pit bull charged at him. He had to pull his firearm and act swiftly to protect his life and those around him and wounded the dog.”