Pig slashing shocks hardened inspector
Myrtle Ryan
February 03 2008 at 01:31PM
When Douglas Wolhuter of the SPCA in Kokstad went to investigate a case of cruelty against a pig, nothing could have prepared him for the horrendous sight which met his eyes.
"I couldn't believe she was still alive; her injuries were horrific. It's the worst case I have had to deal with in the five years I have been doing this," said Wolhuter.
"She had slashes on three of her legs. There were deep lacerations through the tendons of the hock, and bone had been shattered. Her skull was almost totally smashed and one eye had been cut through."
He described the sow lying on hessian bags, in agony, breathing through the vast open space where her sinus passage was. Her skull had been shattered to such an extent he could not use a pre-stunning device to render her unconscious before shooting her with his 9mm.
He said the pig's owner had informed him that the animal had been attacked by a member of the community. The owner signed an affidavit saying this person had previously viciously hacked five other pigs between 2006 and 2007.
The owner said the police had been called to the scene early that morning. They had done nothing to end the animal's suffering and had declined to open a case, saying that problem animals often got into people's crops.
However, the owner said the pig had not entered the yard of the attacker, but had been wandering on common land.
As Wolhuter arrived at 3.30pm the pig had been left to suffer for hours.
According to Wolhuter, the CID had also been reluctant to intervene. They interviewed the suspect, who told them he had set his dogs upon the pig, but had never used a weapon.
"Anyone who looked at its forehead could clearly see it had been hacked," he said. "Anyway, he had no right to set his dogs upon the pig either."
Chris Kuch, spokesperson for the NSPCA, said it might be justifiable for Wolhuter to lay a charge against the inspector of the SAPS in Mount Ayliff, who had investigated the matter.
It had taken Wolhuter five hours to lay charges at the police station, while officers continued to tell him the matter could be resolved through talk.
Kuch said it was not up to the police to decide what steps the SPCA could take.
"If the magistrate decides the accused needs counselling after the trial, that is another issue," Kuch said. "The SPCA is empowered to enforce the Animal Protection Act."
o This article was originally published on page 2 of Tribune on February 03, 2008
