Kempton Park on high alert: SPCA warns public about dog poisoning

Kempton Park SPCA has raised the alarm after a pet-owner’s worst nightmare came true this week – their dogs were poisoned by strangers.

The tragedy comes as the town has made headlines for another unfathomable reason – the discovery of multiple women’s bodies, who are believed to have been sexually assaulted and murdered in recent weeks.

KEMPTON PARK ISSUES WARNING TO PET OWNERS

In a Facebook post, Kempton Park SPCA shared their devastation after a local pet-owner had reported that all three of their dogs had died from poisoning, likely from strangers.

The incident took place in Bonaero Park, Kempton Park.

Sharing a picture of the dead dogs, the animal activists shared: “What could be worse than waking up in the morning, going outside to greet your beloved dogs… only to find them all dead? Poisoned.

“This is one of the most horrific acts of cruelty that can be inflicted on an animal – and the emotional devastation it causes their family is unimaginable”

The Johannesburg SPCA branch urged residents to be vigilant of suspicious activity in their neighbourhoods.

This included taking precautions like:

• Stay alert to any suspicious behaviour around your property.
• Regularly check your yard for suspicious food, objects or substances that may have been thrown over the wall or fence.
• Consider installing security cameras, lighting and other permanent security measures around your property.
• If you find anything suspicious on your property, do not allow your animals near it.
• If you suspect your animal has been poisoned, seek emergency veterinary assistance immediately.
• Consider bringing your animal indoors if you believe that they are not safe outside.

Kempton Park SPCA added, “Our animals trust us to keep them safe. No animal deserves to die this way.

MASS POISONING FEARS

In April, Johannesburg authorities noted a spike in dogs that died after being poisoned by suspected criminals targeting house break-ins.

A similar spate of attacks took place in Strand, in the Western Cape, last year.

Reports indicate that raw meat, rolled into balls and laced with a paralysing poison, had been thrown into properties.

The poison contained the ingredient that attacked an animal’s nervous system.