A Pelican Park man is set to appear in the Wynberg Magistrates Court today for allegedly setting his pitbull on fire amid a probe by the Cape of Good Hope SPCA.
The man was arrested and remains in custody.
The shocking discovery of the charred remains of the adult hond was made on Friday as inspectors visited a scrapyard following warnings to the owner about the condition of his animals.
According to a statement by the SPCA, they were executing a warrant at the property of the 36-year-old suspect in an operation led by Chief Inspector Jaco Pieterse and Inspector Jeffrey Mfini, and supported by City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement Animal Control Unit.
Pieterse says: “The SPCA team entered the property with a warrant issued under the Animals Protection Act.
“The scene was a nightmare. A maze of debris and ramshackle enclosures forced rescuers to crawl through tight spaces to reach animals suffering in extreme heat without access to water.”
He explains among the animals found was a sheep, emaciated and tied up inside a pen, as well as chickens and ducks.
But at the back of the property a brown-and-white pittie, previously seen chained in the same spot during prior visits, was missing.
Pieterse adds: “Disturbingly, the team found evidence of a fire in the area where the dog had been confined.
“Suspicion turned to certainty when the owner, who initially said the dog had been moved, finally led them to an open field.
“There, the dog’s charred remains were found, wrapped in a blanket and still chained.”
A devastated Mfini said he tried many times to improve the dog’s life, saying: “I knew this dog. I had seen him on my visits, chained to the same spot, unable to move freely, yet still wagging his tail when we approached. To find him like this cuts deeper than words can express.”