Fishermen kill goose in front of onlookers at Homestead Dam
They walked on, casually carrying the bird by its neck, to their fishing spot
Several people witnessed two fishermen wring the neck of a goose at Homestead Dam on June 20, at around 1.30pm.
A witness, an 18-year-old Farrarmere resident, was there with her friends and family doing a photoshoot.
She asked to remain anonymous but told the City Times there were several people around, another family doing a maternity photoshoot nearby too. They were all in the area of the dam between Reitz Road and Masefield Street.
“We saw two guys who looked a bit dodgy walking towards us, so we kept an eye on them but moved slightly away at the same time,” the witness said. We lost sight of them but a few minutes later heard a loud, horrible squeaking noise and all turned towards where it was coming from.
“The two of them were kind of behind a tree on the bank and had just snapped a goose’s neck. They walked on, casually carrying the bird by its neck, to their fishing spot. The group of people doing the maternity shoot were all screaming at this point and saying to the guys ‘you can’t do this in public, there are children around’, and other things, but they just replied ‘we can do what we like, we use it for fishing bait’.”
The teen said the incident traumatised her and she could not imagine what this sight would have done to a small child who witnessed it as there were small children around.
Giving a description of the fishermen, she said they were two coloured males in their early 20s.
“They were fishing, as we saw them at their rods,” the witness said.
“I think the goose may have been in the water and they pulled it onto the bank and snapped its neck. It was just awful.”
The Benoni SPCA said they had no formal complaint laid about the incident but are appealing to anyone who was a witness to this act of animal cruelty to contact them as a matter of urgency.
“We strongly condemn any act of cruelty perpetuated against any animal, be it wild or domestic,” said acting manager Martine Hampson. Any person found to be guilty of such heinous acts will face criminal charges to the full extent of the law. The Benoni SPCA does not take such matters lightly so we are asking witnesses to come forward.”
If you have any information contact the SPCA on 011 894 2814.
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