Foundation mounts call to ban ‘lethal’ pitbulls as domestic pets

Cape Town - Castrate male pitbulls, sterilise the females and ban pitbulls as domestic pets altogether.

This is the feeling of one organisation that has taken up its call with three government departments.

Following the death of 10-year-old Storm Nuku, who was killed by his family’s pitbulls the Sizwe Foundation has called for the breed to be banned as domestic pets.

Foundation founder and patron Sizwe Kupelo has written to Police Minister Bheki Cele, Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla and Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza requesting an intervention.

Kupelo has called for the castration of male pitbulls and the sterilisation of female pitbulls. The foundation also wants the “unpredictable dogs” to be removed from all South African homes.

This week, the Eastern Cape-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) said it was willing to defend its call in court should the need arise.

If the foundation has its way, South Africa would join countries such as China and Russia, the UK, and Portugal in banning the breed.

Kupelo said the main issue was that pitbulls were responsible for several serious attacks involving children.

“This is not an animal that can be kept as a domestic animal; it should be classified as a wild animal,” he said.

Kupelo said castration and sterilisation would ensure that the breed disappears over time.

He argued that pitbulls were responsible for a large percentage of dog bites and deaths in the US despite accounting for a small percentage of dogs in homes.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said there were no statistics available for pitbull attacks on people.

“We cannot continue counting bodies because of this breed; it has proven itself to be a lethal and very dangerous animal. Its behaviour is no different from a gun; it has a killing instinct,” Kupelo said.

He likened having a pitbull to keeping a lion, tiger or leopard in your home.

“Lives cannot continue to be threatened by a dog that is supposed to be in a zoo or a controlled environment with professionals that are trained to look after it.

“Laws applicable to those wild animals should apply to this breed. We are not advocating for the killing of the breed, we are calling for the declassification of the breed.

“We want it to be taken away from homes and for people to be prohibited from keeping the breed because it is not appropriate for being kept as a domestic animal,” Kupelo said, adding that people must at least be issued permits and get proper training for socialising the breed.

Kupelo has launched a media campaign and a petition. He said the plan was to take the matter to Parliament. After launching the petition on Wednesday, it has garnered 170 signatures.

But Pitbull Federation of South Africa (PBFSA ) spokesperson Lins Rautenbach has argued the move to ban pitbulls would not be sufficient in curbing attacks by dogs.

“The PBFSA acknowledges and understands the anger and frustration felt by the communities. They are not wrong to feel this way.

“Banning pitbulls might seem like the only solution, but they don’t work. The kinds of owners whose dogs are causing carnage will move to the next powerful breed and so the cycle will continue,” Rautenbach said.

Rautenbach said the problem was multifaceted and was fuelled by overbreeding and mass breeding for profit without considering temperament.

“Temperament is genetic. Human-directed aggression is largely genetic. It’s a serious fault in the pitbull. Poorly bred dogs are ticking time bombs.

“We encourage communities to stamp out the breeding of pitbulls in their areas,” she said.

National Council of SPCAs spokesperson Keshvi Nair said it was an absolute tragedy that people, especially children and the elderly, continue to be attacked and mauled by dogs.

“There are a number of contributing factors as to why dog attacks end up occurring, one of which is the fact that it is too easy for people who have no experience in handling power breeds, to own power breed dogs.

“Power breeds require people who have the experience and expertise in training and looking after them. When power breeds fall into the wrong hands, that is where we begin to see tragedies occur – especially to innocent civilians and other animals,” Nair said.

Former manager of the NSPCA special investigations unit, Wendy Wilson, said the move to ban the breed had failed.

Wilson said it was also difficult to distinguish the breed without DNA tests.

“We can barely enforce the laws that we have. How are we going to enforce the ban on pitbulls? Right now we do not have the resources to enforce a breed ban, and even in countries that have resources and fantastic laws and have banned the breed, like the UK, they have very limited success,” Wilson said.

Wilson said resolving the issue came down to law enforcement.

“It comes down to enforcing the laws that we have on dangerous dogs and dog attacks and enforcing them and holding people accountable for what their dog does, and this doesn’t apply to just pitbulls. If a dog causes damage to property or other people or other animals, it needs to be taken through and prosecuted,” she said.

Wilson said the situation was worsened by ignorance of animal laws.

She said if animals attack people, owners can be prosecuted in terms of multiple sections of laws, not only the animals protection act but also the animal matters amendment act, trespassing laws, and those governing damage to property.

“There are a lot of laws and charges that can be brought against the responsible owners,” she said.

The agriculture ministry confirmed it had received Kupelo’s letter while the police and health ministries were yet to confirm the letters had been received.