Durban - The South African Air Rifle Association (SAARA) has lambasted a teenager accused of using an air rifle to shoot a monkey in Durban North.
Piet du Plooy, chairman of SAARA, said the biggest problem with airguns was that parents bought them as presents, but then they were not handled under controlled and supervised conditions.
Du Plooy was commenting on an incident where a mother monkey died after being shot with an air rifle at a La Lucia home last week.
Steve Smit, of Monkey Helpline, said they responded to a call-out last week where a nursing mother had succumbed to fatal injuries sustained when she was shot by an airgun. Smit said the family had come home to find the monkey inside the house.
“The monkey managed to get out of the house, but was shot. She jumped over the fence into a neighbouring garden and died,” said Smit.
The dead monkey was a nursing female and was still leaking milk. Her baby ran off and has not been found.
Smit said the pellet penetrated the mother’s chest and she died shortly afterwards.
A post went viral on Facebook with hundreds of angry people expressing frustration.
Smit said monkeys were not the only animals being shot by owners of airguns.
“We have received a number of call-outs for cats, birds, woolly-necked storks and, more recently, a crowned eagle that was killed by a pellet.”Du Plooy said that although there were no regulations governing the sale of airguns, they could not be discharged in a residential area without good reason to do so.
Such incidents gave their association and those who used airguns a bad name.
“In SAARA, our shooters participate under safety-controlled rules and only shoot under the strict supervision of a well-trained coach. They ensure that all aspects of safety are adhered to before anybody fires a shot. Our shooters participate in an indoor arena under close supervision.”
Monkey Helpline has consulted Durban North SAPS management to find a way of punishing those who are caught shooting animals with pellet guns.
“We have met with station management, who were very sympathetic about the situation and happy to proceed with opening a case against the perpetrator. We have to fill out an affidavit so police can follow up and decide on the next steps to take.”
He said Monkey Helpline could open a prosecution under the Animal Protection Act.
“I also asked if the gun could be confiscated, and police assured us that it was an option. We will request that this is done,” said Smit.
Lisa Gadd, of Kloof and Highway SPCA, condemned the shooting of any animal, especially with an air rifle. “The animal could be maimed, and suffer severe pain,” she said.
She said in May 2014 a minor pleaded guilty in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court after the SPCA prosecuted him for shooting and fatally wounding a hadeda. He was fined R2500 and now had a criminal record.