New pet bylaw for Pretoria
The metro has been receiving complaints about pet shops mistreating animals.
The Tshwane metro recently announced a new bylaw for keeping animals after complaints about pet shops mistreating animals.
According to the bylaw, no person will be permitted to:
– Keep any livestock, other than poultry or maintain kennels in any area defined by the municipality as unsuitable for the keeping of livestock and the maintenance of kennels,
– Keep any livestock, other than poultry, on premises situated on land less than 1ha in extent, and in the case of a dealer or speculator in livestock, the land is not less than 2.5ha in extent.
– Keep any animal, unit of poultry or bird in or on premises that do not comply with the provisions of the bylaws,
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– Keep any animal, unit of poultry or bird in or on premises that are so constructed, maintained or situated that the keeping of animals, poultry or birds on the premises is, in the opinion of the environmental health practitioner, likely to cause a nuisance,
– Keep more than 10 units of poultry or 10 rabbits or 10 birds on residential premises, provided that more than 10 units of poultry may be kept on an agricultural holding and that the owner, occupier or keeper ensures that no health nuisance is constituted,
– Keep more than three dogs or three cats older than six months on property zoned residential;
– Keep dogs and/or cats on premises zoned industrial or business purposes unless the prior written approval of an environmental health practitioner has been obtained.
– In giving his or her approval the environmental health practitioner may impose any conditions he or she deems necessary; and operate a battery system for poultry or rabbits before approval has been obtained from the municipality.
West DA ward councillor Elma Nel urged pet shop owners to take responsibility for the pets in their care.
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“A beautiful example to follow was what was explained to my son: pets should be regarded as visitors in your home who cannot fend for themselves,” she said.
“Make sure that their drinking bowls are always to the quality that you will drink from it personally. That is something we live by and I feel that everyone should.”
She said the welfare of pets should be top of mind during extreme weather conditions.
“No pet should be left outside in an enclosure in this heat,” she said.
“If you treat them like you treat yourself, that alone should promote your shop.”
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