Kimberley - An extremely graphic video depicting a dog being hacked apart and dragged across the ground after being stabbed with a garden fork, reportedly made in Donkerhoek, Kimberley, has gone viral, leaving authorities shocked and disgusted.
One Kimberley resident, who on Wednesday spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed his shock and disgust at the video, which he received on his cellphone shortly after the incident.
The video was apparently taken in a veld in Donkerhoek last Thursday after the dogs were allegedly stolen from a yard in the area.
The video depicts a medium-sized, beige-coloured dog lying on its back, while a man is standing on its bloodied hind legs. A second man is seen hacking away at the animal with a kitchen knife, slicing open the dog’s chest area and exposing its flesh.
A third person is then seen shoving a large garden fork into the animal’s body several times, as well as stepping on the dog.
Shortly afterwards the man again uses the kitchen knife to stab the dog while a young boy is depicted hacking away at the dog’s chest.
Finally they stab the dog in the neck with the garden fork and are seen dragging the animal away.
At this stage it appears as if the dog is already dead because it no longer makes any sounds. It is, however, unclear when and how the animal died.
In the background several people, including young children, can be seen witnessing the attack while one female voice can be heard saying: “Oh God, kill him”.
On the video onlookers were laughing and joking while one of them, allegedly one of the attackers, tried to hide his face with a balaclava when he realised that he was being filmed.
Hanging in a nearby tree was the carcass of another dog.
The resident, who on Wednesday brought the video to the attention of the DFA, said he had been unable to sleep after watching the video, and that a younger sibling is experiencing nightmares after accidentally seeing the gruesome footage.
“I am an animal lover and seeing this has really upset me. It is totally barbaric and inhumane. I do not know if these people kill animals for fun or for food but, whatever the reason, it is totally unacceptable. They must be stopped,” he said.
According to the concerned resident this is not an uncommon occurrence and that dead dogs are often seen hanging from trees in the area.
However, a visit to Donkerhoek on Wednesday by the DFA’s reporters was met with blank faces from residents, who said they knew nothing about dogs being killed or hacked apart.
They also had no knowledge of dogs hanging from the trees.
While the DFA is in possession of the video, it was decided not post it on our social media platforms or on our website, due to the graphic nature of its content. However, according to reports, the video has already been circulated extensively among community members.
The SPCA, which was on Wednesday alerted about the incident, indicated that it would conduct an investigation.