Six men will remain in police custody for animal cruelty and dog fighting after they appeared in court on Monday.
The national council of SPCAs (NSPCA) said the men were arrested in the early hours of Saturday and appeared in the Atteridgeville magistrate’s court on Monday.
“Acting on information received from concerned residents, the NSPCA supported by the police raided an organised dog fight in progress in the township.
“The dog fighters had gathered in an isolated area where they thought they were safe from detection.”
The NSPCA said two dogs were writhing on the grass in a bloody battle, while the dog fighters and spectators laughed and shouted at the dogs.
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“At this moment, inspectors from the NSPCA and police officers stormed in and six people were arrested.”
NSPCA said 14 dogs were rescued in this operation and were taken to places of safety.
Manager of the special investigations unit senior inspector Wendy Willson said: “It was chilling to see the callousness of these men and the delight they took in watching and encouraging these dogs to rip each other apart.”
She said residents were supportive and had thanked the NSPCA for acting in keeping their community safe.
“Our special thanks to members of the Pretoria K9 delta relief and the biological dog handlers for their swift decisive actions in apprehending these criminals,” Willson said.
Charges of animal cruelty and dog fighting have been laid against the accused.
The NSPCA said this was the second time that a case of this nature had been registered in the Atteridgeville magistrate’s court.
“The previous case resulted in a successful guilty conviction and jail time for all those convicted.
“The NSPCA believes that this case will have a similarly successful outcome and that once again there will be justice served for these animal victims,” said Willson.
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