Doctor’s hell run against animal cruelty
|Published
PREPARE: Ayoub will face harsh conditions. Picture: TRACEY ADAMS/AFRICAN NEWS AGENCY (ANA) PREPARE: Ayoub will face harsh conditions. Picture: TRACEY ADAMS/AFRICAN NEWS AGENCY (ANA)
A Cape Town veterinarian will be taking part in a seven-day desert survival challenge to raise awareness about the link between animal cruelty and serial killers.
By day, Dr. Ayoub Banderker works as a vet for the South African National Defence Force.
But in his spare time, Ayoub helps out at the Cape of Good Hope SPCA in Grassy Park, where he is also a board member.
On Saturday, Ayoub will be tackling the Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon (KAEM) in aid of the SPCA and Ihata Shelter in Cape Town.
Contestants are given only the basics, like a change of clothes, sleeping bag, some food and water, and medical supplies.
PLIGHT: Local vet Dr. Ayoub Banderker to race for animals. Picture: Supplied
Belinda Abraham, of the SPCA, says the link between animal abuse and serial killers has been proven by many clinical studies, citing Robert K. Ressler, an FBI profiler who said: “Murderers very often start out by killing and torturing animals as kids.”
This will be the first time that Ayoub will be taking part in the annual KAEM and he says he has prepared himself mentally and physically.
The week-long trek is about 250km through the Augrabies National Park and ends on 18 October.
“The organisers supply medical support and water at checkpoints and at the campsite, which is just a gazebo, so you sleep out in the open,” he says.
He will be competing against avid runners and athletes from across the world. He says the aim is not to win, but to raise awareness about two issues close to his heart.
“When you see an animal being abused (by a child), when you dig deeper, you will probably find that that child was being abused,” he says.
“I also want to highlight the plight of organisations like the SPCA and the Ihata Shelter for Abused Women and Children.”
Belinda says they are very proud of Ayoub: “We might not all be able to stop cruelty on the frontline like the brave SPCA inspectors or step in to assist directly with the victims of gender-based violence, however each of us can try in our own way to support the fight against cruelty in all forms.”