Durban - Pinetown magistrate Wendy Robinson came down hard on Thursday on one of two Escombe people charged with 18 counts of animal cruelty.
Dianne Tracy Ingram, 40, was fined a total of R21 000, half of which was suspended for three years, after admitting to all the charges against her.
She will also have to pay a R10 750 bill for animals’ medical expenses, and has been declared unfit to be in charge of animals for 10 years.
Her co-accused and ex-boyfriend, John Slabbert, has now been charged separately as he was late in organising legal representation. His trial is expected to start on April 15.
Ingram and Slabbert were charged with 18 counts of animal cruelty on November 4 last year, after the Kloof and Highway SPCA raided their Escombe home and confiscated 17 dogs, four cats, two pigs, two rats, two snakes and one mouse.
The animals were living in dirty conditions, had no water, the dogs and cats were infested with parasites and most of the animals needed veterinary attention.
In her guilty plea, read out by her attorney identified in court papers as advocate J Bhika, Ingram admitted she had neglected the seven dogs.
She said: “I plead guilty voluntarily and I have not been influenced in any way by any person.”
She said she and Slabbert had taken in “stray, unwanted” animals and those “that were sick and abused, in an effort to rescue and rehabilitate them”.
“Most of these animals were taken off the streets or people would call me to take away their unwanted pets. I received no monetary gain from taking in the animals and I spent a substantial amount of money on food and veterinarian visits for animals.”
She said she and Slabbert had taken more animals than they could accommodate and could not afford to take care of them all.
In her affidavit, she admitted the animals were starved or underfed, that they were kept in dirty conditions and were infested with parasites. She said the animals were also diseased, neglected and “in need of veterinarian attention”.
She said she was “truly” remorseful for her actions.
Robinson fined Ingram R3 000 for each of the seven counts of animal cruelty against her. This amounted to R21 000.
On Thursday night Barbara Patrick from the Kloof and Highway SPCA said they were satisfied with the outcome.
“We hope people realise that animal cruelty will not be tolerated and the Kloof and Highway SPCA will investigate and prosecute any incidences of cruelty.”
The Mercury