Durban — The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) has warned against a Twitter post purporting to be from the South African government offering a reward of R1 500 for reporting properties with pit bulls.
The NSPCA said it noted a post regarding pit bulls that appeared to be a scam.
The post was from an unverified government Twitter account and offers a reward of R1 500 to anyone who reports the address of properties that are keeping pit bulls.
“The post is highly questionable given that it is from an unverified account and contains no contact information. It further contains no information as to why the pit bulls are being sought after to the point that a reward has been offered. The post places pit bulls and their owners at risk. If you have come across the post, please report it,” the NSPCA said.
“Further to this, people are attempting to impersonate SPCA personnel and demanding that people hand their pit bulls over to them. This is also a scam. The SPCA is NOT going door-to-door and demanding that people hand over their pit bulls.”
The NSPCA called for people to be vigilant and safe.
“Do not hand your animals over to unknown people. If you can’t look after your animal for whatever reason, please take the animal to your local SPCA or animal welfare shelter directly,” the NSPCA said.
The scam comes after the “Ban The Breed” petition went viral and the subject of pit bulls became topical.
The NSPCA said at first glance, the petition may appear to be outrageous, especially to pit bull owners, however, upon careful reflection, the petition advocates for the protection of people and responsible pet ownership.
The petition calls for all pit bulls to be castrated/sterilised which would prevent the current rate of uncontrolled breeding. The petition also calls for stronger regulations for the keeping of pit bulls (and other power-breed animals) requiring owners to have permits to keep such animals.
It said dog breeds with the potential to be aggressive and cause harm to other animals and people were easily obtained. In the hands of uniformed or irresponsible people, dogs can become a risk to the people in their communities.
The NSPCA also said too often, pit bulls were acquired by irresponsible people to portray an image of “power”, for dog fighting, breeding or for security purposes. These dogs are incited and trained to become human and animal aggressive, and very quickly the animal becomes a high risk. All too often these dogs live compromised lives in cages or on chains which typically leads to an increase in aggression and further increases the risk of attack.
“This petition should not result in the demonising of pit bulls, but in finding a humane and cohesive way forward to protect the human and animal victims in this issue. The SPCA movement remains committed to the protection of all animals against any cruelty and suffering,” the NSPCA said.
Daily News