Cape Town - An animal hawker in Du Noon has been arrested following repeated reports against him and several attempts by the Cape of Good Hope (CoGH) SPCA to find him.
The 20-year-old man was nabbed at the Malibongwe Bridge by the SPCA on Thursday.
The animal welfare organisation said the suspect evaded arrest for months by changing clothes every 30 minutes.
The SPCA said the arrest was executed following the assistance of a person who engaged with the suspect, pretending to have an interest in an animal for sale.
The SPCA’s chief inspector, Jaco Pieterse said: “I’m thankful that this animal abuser will finally face his day in court. We will never give up when we know that animals need us, even if it means returning to the same area several times a day and at all times of the day or night for weeks on end. We were determined to put a stop to this and we’re glad our perseverance has paid off.”
Pieterse said a search was conducted at the accused’s home.
The CoGH SPCA said it would institute legal proceedings.
“The accused now faces charges in terms of Section 13(17) of Animal Keeping By Law which states that it is an offence for any person to sell or offer to sell an animal without authorisation in a street or public place as well as charges of animal cruelty in terms of the Animals Protection Act,” said the SPCA.
The SPCA has urged residents to report incidents of the unlawful sale of animals and animal cruelty by calling the 24-hour line 0217004158/9 or send an email to [email protected].
Cape Times