A day in the life of an SPCA inspector

Since the age of 10, Ralph Chiavaviro, now an inspector, has been involved with the SPCA.

This came after they paid his school a visit. He reunited with them when he joined Benoni SPCA in 2018.

He has now been with the Boksburg SPCA for five years. He was born in Zimbabwe to a South African mother and a Zimbabwean father.

“To be an inspector you first have to have a genuine love for animals,” said Chivaviro.

It requires one to exercise patience, apply skills and be professional.

He said morals and integrity are important to enforce any law.

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“An inspector must be able to think under pressure. You have to have a high degree of bravery and courage. I aim to one day have my own TV show,” said Chivaviro.

He initially started as a trainee, then passed his inspector course. He holds a certificate in dog behaviour.

“I have opened three cases of animal cruelty. What concerns me is that SPCA inspectors are not as respected as police. When we attend to cases some people are abusive, be it verbally or physically.”

Chivaviro said that many people mistake them for a “free” veterinary service.

A typical day on duty

He said they have many duties as inspectors.

“I enjoy making home visits for our adopted animals. We also conduct animal cruelty investigations and attend to emergency situations like venomous snakes in houses, dog fighting and animal rescues.

“We do an outreach programme where we deworm, dip for ticks and fleas, hand out food parcels, sterilise animals to stop breeding and educate the public on taking care of their pets. We are in Vosloorus every Tuesday,” said Chivaviro.

“We also conduct inspections at animal hawking sites such as roadside sheep and goat sales. Abattoirs are inspected to make sure slaughtering is done humanely.”

Show respect for life is his advice for those who mistreat animals.

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