What to do if you see a stray animal
For injured stray animals you can call the SPCA during office hours or their duty inspector who is available 24 hours a day.
While you are driving in your car you see a stray dog wandering around, looking lost. What should you do?
The Krugersdorp SPCA suggests the following:
1. Firstly you need to ensure your own safety. You cannot help the animal if you become injured or are in an unsafe situation.
2. An animal that is lost, frightened or possibly ill can behave unpredictably. A simple move such as opening your car door can cause the dog to run away and be hit by another vehicle.
3. Do not chase the animal. The animal may be a few metres away from its home and chasing it will cause it to become lost.
4. When you approach the animal, speak calmly and try enticing it by using strong-smelling food such as tuna. You can try to lure the dog into your vehicle, but do so with caution as it is not a good idea to drive with an unrestrained strange dog in your car.
5. It is very difficult, even for SPCA staff, to try and catch a dog that is running frantically in the road. To prevent the animal from being injured or causing an accident, try and get the animal into a confined area without making it bolt into traffic.
6. Please contact the SPCA immediately if you see a stray animal roaming around on the road. Please try and be as descriptive as possible when you give directions, such as what the nearest corner is, any landmarks, what direction the dog is moving in, for example “at the Caltex Garage on Comaro Road and it is running towards the highway”.
For injured stray animals you can call the SPCA during office hours or their duty inspector who is available 24 hours a day:
• Krugersdorp duty inspector: 072 295 5116
• Krugersdorp landline: 011 953 1135
• Jhb duty inspector: 083 604 1172
• Jhb landline: 011 681 3600
A full list of all the SPCAs in South Africa as well as their emergency contact details is available at https://www.nspca.co.za/page/spcas-in-south-africa.
