Animal welfare groups work to find solutions for strays

Lauren Isaacs

ANIMAL welfare organisations are taking on the issue of stray animals after three-year-old Philasande Mbokhoto was mauled to death by a pack of dogs in Sweet Home Farm near Philippi last week.

The SPCA, Animal Rescue Organisation and the Animal Welfare Society are working together to tackle the problem and have called in the Western Cape Animal Forum.

The forum aims to teach owners how to take care of their animals.

“When our mobile unit first visited Sweet Home Farm, the residents were scared of bringing their pets to us as they thought we were going to remove them,” said Jessica Perrins, a spokeswoman at the Animal Rescue Organisation.

“What they couldn’t understand was that we just wanted to help them by checking if their pets were in good health.”

Perrins said the attack in which Philasande died was a “freak accident”.

“Killing a child is not something that dogs would really do,” said Perrins.

She said the forum planned to meet on Thursday to discuss the way forward.

SPCA inspector Moyo Ndukwana said: “Our clinics deworm, sterilise and check dogs for mange, a common skin disorder.”

Residents said they believed the dogs that killed Philasande were hungry and had not been properly fed.

A resident, Victor Ndiki, said he was “happy” that the clinics would help them take care of their dogs.

“I feed as many stray dogs as I can,” he said.

Another resident, Gloria Somana, also welcomed the initiative, saying she was pleased that people would be taught how to take care of their pets.

lauren.isaacs@inl.co.za