The Cape of Good Hope SPCA Horse Care Unit confiscated a pony that was found in poor condition, being walked by foot for over 40 kilometers. The pony had several injuries and was in no state for this journey.
CAPE TOWN – On the evening of 21 January 2023, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA received a call from the City of Cape Town’s Emergency Services requesting assistance after their Law Enforcement responded to a call from a caring member of the public that reported a pony in extremely poor condition being walked from Melkbosstrand past Morningstar on the N7 highway.
The City’s Law Enforcement officers apprehended the suspects on the N7 highway and waited for Inspector Jeffrey Mfini to arrive. When Jeffrey arrived, he could immediately see that the pony was in no state to walk any further. The pony was severely underweight and had large wounds on his body.
The suspects alleged that they were waiting for the owner to deliver a horsebox, but that wasn’t the case, as the owner arrived in his vehicle with no horsebox. It appeared that the pony was going to be subjected to continue the torturous journey on foot in its dire state.
Upon further questioning, the suspects admitted to Jeffrey that they had walked with the pony from Mamre, over 40 kilometres from where they were apprehended and that they were heading to Athlone, which was another approximately 30 kilometres away.
Jeffrey was not going to allow the pony to walk any further.
Jeffrey decided that the best course of action would be to seize the pony and take him back to the Cape of Good Hope SPCA Horse Care Unit in Grassy Park. With no horsebox, Jeffrey had to improvise and make another plan to quickly get a horsebox to load the pony, now called Dusty.
The assistance of Glen Graze Rescue Sanctuary was called in, and without hesitation did they agree to assist. Jeffrey and the Law Enforcement officers stayed with Dusty until the horsebox arrived. Inspector Mark Syce also later joined Jeffrey and the team.
When the Glen Graze Rescue Sanctuary team arrived, Dusty was loaded into the horsebox, and the 40-kilometer journey back to the SPCA in Grassy Park started. Mark followed behind the horsebox, and Jeffrey went to the police station to report the seizure.
Dusty was safely offloaded at the SPCA after 23h00. Dusty has been examined by our veterinarians and is receiving treatment for the wounds, and has been placed on a special diet to gain weight.
The owner and his accomplices will now face criminal charges of animal cruelty in terms of the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962.
We want to thank Glen Graze for assisting our team with transporting Dusty to the SPCA and, of course, Law Enforcement for always helping the SPCA and for being there when we need them.
Currently, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA Horse Care Unit has 17 equines of different shapes and sizes in our care. We need your help to continue caring for the equines in our care. Looking after horses does not come cheap! This week alone, we spent over R30,000 on food for our equine friends.
Please help Dusty and his friends by making a donation.
Donate NOW and help us bring justice for Dusty!
We are appealing to our donors to please make a donation to assist us in ensuring justice is served for Dusty that was subjected to immense cruelty and suffering. It is extremely expensive to care for horses and we need your support.
The SPCA receives no funding from the government and relies on donations from the public in order to function.
EFT donations:
Bank: Standard Bank
Branch: 025309 / 051001 (internet banking)
Account Number: 071832858
SWIFT: SBZA ZA JJ
Account Type: Cheque
Account Name: The Cape of Good Hope SPCA
Beneficiary Reference: HCU & Your Name and Email or Phone number
Send proof of payment to: inspmanager@spca-ct.co.za
Your continued dedication, ongoing support, and passion for protecting the lives of animals is what makes us successful. Thank you for everything you do to help make this a better world for animals.
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