Cape Town - Animal authorities were shocked to find the hands and feet of several baboons tied to the boundary walls of a house in Bellville.
Following a tip-off, inspectors of the Cape of Good Hope SPCA went to the home in the Boston area on Friday, March 17.
They found two hands and a foot tied with orange string dangling from the vibracrete wall around the house.
The SPCA alerted police, who may prosecute the homeowners if it is found that the animal was killed for its body parts.
Residents at the house allegedly told inspectors the limbs were being used as muti to scare off intruders.
However, a sangoma the Daily Voice consulted revealed that baboon hands are “commonly used for prosperity, and to increase wealth”.
Tara McGovern, Communications and Resources Development Assistant at the SPCA, says the residents were “very apprehensive” about where they had found the animal parts, prompting the SPCA to insist on a forensic investigation.
Officials will now determine whether the baboon had been dead or alive when its hands were cut off.
“The occupants of the house alleged that they had removed the limbs from a dead baboon that they had found on a farm and then hung them over the wall to protect their home from intruders,” says McGovern.
“They remain uncooperative with regards to the location of the farm or the baboon’s remains, which the SPCA would like to recover for forensic purposes.”
She says the owners may face prosecution if their investigation proves a case of cruelty to animals.
“Our baboons already suffer terribly at human hands."
“Targeted for marauding and already treated with cruel intolerance, they now face the additional threat of death and mutilation in the name of human protection."
She says the SPCA has joined forces with SAPS and Cape Nature “to uncover the truth in this matter”.
“The limbs are being examined to enable us to ascertain the age of the baboon in question and any other information which may benefit our investigation.
“Should evidence of cruelty become apparent the Cape of Good Hope SPCA will not hesitate to prosecute the offenders.”