Cape Town - The Cape of Good Hope SPCA says it is preparing to admit a higher number of stray animals in the coming days, as many will have been displaced by the Guys Fawkes Day celebrations over the weekend.
Despite the ban on fireworks on Guys Fawkes Day and New Year’s Eve, the weekend’s celebration saw fireworks being discharged in residential areas such as Manenberg and Lavender Hill.
The day has become synonymous with the displacement of hundreds of animals as well as criminal activities.
The City has banned the discharging of shop-bought fireworks in residential areas, recently confirming that no fireworks site had been designated for the discharge of fireworks for Guy Fawkes celebrations.
Cape of Good Hope SPCA spokesperson Jaco Pieterse said the vet’s inspectorate and wildlife teams had been on standby on Saturday night to respond to animal emergencies caused by Guy Fawkes celebrations. However, he said no animal emergencies had been reported on the night.
“Our inspectorate emergency line, however, received several complaints relating to the discharge of fireworks in certain residential areas. All these calls were referred to City of Cape Town law enforcement to be dealt with promptly,” he said.
Pieterse said its animal pound also had not received many stray animals yesterday.
However, he cautioned that the vet normally saw the aftermath of the fireworks celebrations days later.
“We wish to thank the City of Cape Town and the SAPS for their high presence in certain areas.
“This certainly assisted with fewer fireworks being discharged. However, some of the areas did not hold back, and it sounded like a war zone,” he said.
Faiza Jacobs from Manenberg said: “The fireworks went off non-stop in our area. We reported this, as some kids were running around with paint in plastic bags.
“Animal rights means nothing on the Cape Flats. The poor defenceless animals are suffering at the hands of our people. My heart breaks to see how bewildered and scared the stray animals in our areas are.
“I wish our people would educate their kids on the extreme trauma these animals suffer.”
A shop owner in Netreg was given a R2 500 fine after metro police received a tip-off that fireworks were being sold at the store. Police confiscated 1800 “crackers” from the shop.
The City’s law enforcement spokesperson, Wayne Dyason, said law enforcement officers had dealt with the usual complaints of children running around with paint-filled socks in Lavender Hill and Parkwood, small shops selling fireworks illegally, and fireworks being illegally discharged in residential areas.