WATCH: Mother Giraffe looking for baby after it was euthanized in Marloth Park
It is not the first time that animals get run over on the roads says Marloth Park residents
MARLOTH PARK – A giraffe calf was hit by a vehicle in Leeu Road on Thursday. It was badly injured, and members of the Marloth Park Residents Association (MPRA) euthanised it. Two bullets put the calf out of its misery.
Its mother kept wandering around, looking for her offspring.
Johan Veldsman, a private law-enforcement officer, was called to the scene.
A man driving a white Toyota SUV had, according to Veldsman, stated that he did not see the giraffe walking down the road. The speed limit on Marloth Park’s tar road is 50 kilometres per hour and 30 kilometres per hour on the gravel roads.
It could not be established whether the driver was exceeding the speed limit. According to Veldsman, the driver had to submit statements to both the police and Marloth Park’s rangers.
“Giraffes are very slow animals. If the driver was keeping to the speed limit, he would have had enough time to avoid hitting the animal,” speculated Veldsman.
A criminal case has not been opened against the driver.
Veldsman said that the MPRA will send an invoice to the driver to pay for the bullets used to put the giraffe down.
Residents claimed this was not the first time such an incident has occurred.
