Four suspects have been arrested for the brutal stoning of an adult Cape fur seal on Sunday evening, 8 January 2023, on Monwabisi Beach in Khayelitsha.
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The Cape of Good Hope SPCA responded to a call about a group of men who were seen trying to kill an adult Cape fur seal by throwing rocks at it while it was trapped and unable to escape on Monwabisi Beach at around 6pm on Sunday evening.
The City of Cape Town law enforcement was alerted and the SPCA’s Inspector Werner Taljaard and trainee inspector Eugene Links rushed to the scene to rescue the seal.
The seal was taken to a veterinary practice and humanely euthanised due to the severity of the injuries it had sustained.
SPCA Wildlife Officer Jon Friedman said, “Seeing the broken condition this animal was in when it was carried off the beach made my blood run cold. Not in 37 years of working in wildlife welfare have I seen such a case of abject cruelty visited on a defenseless animal that was in all likelihood just minding its own business.”
According to the attending veterinarian, “the seal had suffered severe facial and skull fractures, was bleeding profusely from the mouth, had one of its eyes crushed and that most of its teeth had been completely broken off in its mouth.”
A traditional healer allegedly approached the four suspects, pointed out the seal to them, and offered them R3,000 to kill the seal.
“Animal Cruelty charges have been laid against the suspects in terms of the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962 at the Harare South African Police Service (SAPS), as well as charges of hunting a protected species without a permit, which is an offence under the Threatened or Protected Marine Species (ToPS) Regulations of 2017, read together with the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA) 10 of 2004.”
“We will ensure that justice is served in the name of this seal. Torturing any animal is unacceptable and the suspects must face the full might of the law,” said SPCA Chief Inspector Jaco Pieterse.
“The SPCA thanks the City of Cape Town Law Enforcement Officers for their quick action, and decisive intervention and for assisting the SPCA in getting the injured seal off the beach.”
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Watch: Could the Clifton attack have been avoided, was the seal provoked?
Picture: Cape of Good Hope SPCA
