Ballito domestic cat leg amputated after being caught in snare
An adult ginger cat went missing and was found severely injured by a snare. WARNING: Graphic content
An eight-year-old ginger cat was found, after missing for nearly a week, with a badly injured leg allegedly caused by a snare in Ballito.
When the owner, Elbie van der Bank realised her beloved ginger boy, Tinto, was missing, she put up a post on the Dolphin Coast Neighbours Facebook page first thing on January 21.
“We live in Lorna Avenue, but used to stay in Bay Ridge, which is next to an open piece of land close to Simbithi Eco Estate. He has gone missing before and tends to go back to there,” said Van der Bank.
Five days later, a post from the Ballito Pets Facebook page was shared to Van der Bank’s post with a picture of her cat.
The post stated that he was found by Leanne Fraser Pengelly in Puzzle Bush Lane, Simbithi Eco Estate on January 25 with a badly injured hind leg and had been taken to the Ballito Veterinary Clinic.
Van der Bank said the vet confirmed that her cat had been injured in a snare and they would have to amputate the leg.
“It is horrible to think he was stuck in the snare in the open piece of land next to Bay Ridge, hearing us calling him all day.”
While this news was traumatic, Van der Bank said she is so relieved to have found him thanks to Facebook.
“Facebook is brilliant! He probably would have been put down if it was not for the Dolphin Coast Neighbours page.
“Thank you to everyone who got involved and a special thank you to Leanne, you have no idea what this means to me.”
KZN Ezemvelo Wildlife’s Lionel van Schoor said they have done a preliminary sweep of the bushy area outside Simbithi Eco Estate yesterday to check for snares and have found some footpaths which look like they could be used by hunters.
“I am almost 100% sure that the cat picked up the snare while he was crossing through the bush outside of Simbithi Eco Estate.
“The estate’s guards control the gates very tightly and have been trained to search for snares, so the chance of a snare getting into the estate is practically zero,” said Van Schoor.
He said they will go back to the area to check for possible other snares.
Simbithi Eco Estate’s environmental manager, Peter Coulon, said a number of their staff immediately checked the estate for snares after the cat had been found on the boundary of the estate.
“We searched the area where the cat was found to ensure there are no snares in the estate and non were found,” said Coulon.
Meanwhile, Tinto is recovering well in hospital and Van der Bank said they are looking forward to welcoming him home soon.
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