Written by: Laurinda Morris, DVM Danville Veterinary Clinic Danville, OH

25 June 2008
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Many people naively believe that the South African government is attempting to close down the canned lion hunting business. This is simply not true. . The December amendment to the new regulations, surprisingly, excludes lions from the listed predators. Lions will therefore continue to be canned hunted with SA government approval. This leaves the lion hunting industry free to carry on with business as usual. Last year 2007, after the promulgation of the new TOPS regulations, more than 1000 lions were canned hunted in one SA province alone. (North-West)

One of the restrictions which will no doubt be a central issue in the Bloemfontein High Court, where the lion breeders are challenging the validity of the new regulations, is the so-called two-year wilding rule. The hunting industry is trying, through government regulation, to foist on to a gullible public the idea that if a lion is kept in a camp for two years where it has prey animals (such as goats, donkeys and horses) available to hunt, it is no longer tame and therefore hunting it can no longer be termed ‘canned’ hunting. This is obviously nonsensical: no intelligent person will swallow the argument that ‘if we pretend that the lion is wild, you can pretend that canned hunting has been abolished.’

After receiving a petition with over 23,000 signatures from South Africans who find this sort of hunting a disgrace, and an online petition signed by thousands of potential tourists from overseas who categorically state that they will never visit a country which institutionalizes cruelty to wild animals, the SA government doggedly continues to pander to the hunting industry. Why is that, do you think? Money, perhaps? If South Africans are really serious about the well being of their wildlife now is a good time to tell Minister Van Schalkwyk.

Email: ministry@deat.gov.za
Telephone 012 3103611

12 Mar 2008
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Late last year, I read a newspaper street poster (Die Son or Daily Voice or something like that…) screaming forth another absolutely revolting story line about how someone did something totally insane. Like having a braai and, just for kicks, putting the dog on it. As if this is not enough to digest, 3 days later (hardly sufficient time to recover from the braai story…), another headline blazes at me “dog stabbed 15 times…”. (with the number made big and bold just to add a bit of blood and juice to the scandal.)

Not that I have to buy this drivel to imagine the whole story from one poster. However, folks do buy tabloid rags and mop it up, soaking in the horrors of what other people have got up to in their often drug induced state.
Why do people think that by owning a vicious dog they automatically become better humans? Ego! What dismays me is the complete lack of responsibility displayed by people, who think their brain capacity and level of respect in the community is directly related to how vicious and badly behaved their dogs are. I once heard a man gloating about how his Rottweiler ate a gate.

Although he was smug when he relayed his story, I took it as a cry for help!

Another concern is dog walkers who have no control over their aggressive dogs, but yet stand there waving enthusiastically at you, insisting that 'he's fine, very friendly' while you register his long snarling teeth, his bristling hair rising along his tense back as he edges towards you and your dog. I recently had a shouting match with a woman whose dog edged towards me and my Labrador in the park, ready to launch his attack, while the dear old lady owner laughed and smiled at me that 'he's fine, dear, really he is'. 'Well I don't know that, do I, call your dog off. CALL HIM OFFFFFF.!!!!' I also don't like it when other people's dogs try to dominate my dog while it is on the lead, so I end up with someone else's large problem not only trying to dominate my elderly dog, but me as well. Nothing worse that other people's badly behaved children and even worse, badly behaved dogs. Good advice is to send all puppies to puppy classes as soon as possible and try to get the pack order sorted out at home, so you may have a chance of controlling your dog in public.

KdK

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The ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANISATION was established in 1986 to work in township and informal settlement communities and this is where the emphasis of our work remains. Recently there was heated debate in the media about the question of customary animal slaughter practiced in the African culture.
Across South African townships on an daily basis, but particularly at celebration times, animals are slaughtered by communities who wish to communicate with ancestors. I find this debate most interesting because while we continue the mass slaughter of highly traumatized livestock at abattoirs across South Africa, we are hardly on a moral plateau which permits fair criticism of ritual slaughter. However, this does not mean that the procedure of ritual slaughter is without cruelty, as it most definitely does involve cruelty in varying degrees depending on the people carrying out the ritual. However, as soon as farm livestock is herded into a holding pen, the trauma and therefore cruelty has started. Thereafter, they are loaded onto a truck, train or ship and transported for hours and often days at a time, only to be prodded and herded to their death, surrounded by the stench of blood and the screams of other animals. It is the reality of slaughter from which we turn our heads and pretend it doesn’t happen, content to buy our meat neatly packaged in a supermarket refrigerator.

Ritual slaughter for religious purposes is a custom which has been around for thousands of years. Animals such as sheep, goats and cows are slaughtered as part of an African celebration or ceremony in which the guidance and/or approval of the ancestors is required. The African culture believes that ancestors must be “reached” and this can only happen if the animal (preferably a cow) bellows in pain. To cause the animal to bellow, it is stabbed on its body with a spear head. The practice requires that a cow, for example, is first brought to the place of slaughter, tied up and felled. It is stabbed to make it cry out, then its’ neck is cut on top which is supposed to kill it quickly and painlessly. It seems that sheep and goats are not necessarily required to cry out prior to death, but a cow/bull is. However, the debate rages about how often a clean kill actually happens. Another area of concern for Animal Rescue is, that impressionable children are witness to the extreme trauma suffered by livestock animals being slaughtered. These children look on in awe as adults’ do battle with a thrashing cow, sheep or goat and learn that it is acceptable to do whatever is required (“chaining, stoning and stabbing” I have heard) to bring the animal down. Children do not watch the horrors of an abattoir, although are later politely informed (usually at school) that it is a place of slaughter and a necessary evil. I interviewed the ARO Xhosa staff on this matter. They support the right to practice traditional customs, however, showed concern about the cross over of cultures particularly in the urban townships surrounding larger SA cities in which Westernised influences has serious implications on the manner in which traditional African customs are practiced. Monwabisi Siswana a long standing member of staff at ARO, and a township resident himself, feels that today’s urban youth lack respect and this can result in poor treatment of animals, most especially prior to a slaughter. He feels that in more rural communities the slaughter is more likely to be carried out correctly as there is a greater respect towards upholding the true value of the traditional custom. Whether an animal is slaughtered back yard “ritual” style or in a so called “humane” abattoir the purpose for the kill is to eat the animal.

In the November 2006 edition of Animal People, a US based animal rights newspaper publication, the Editor, Merritt Clifton writes,

Animal sacrifice is also increasingly visible in South Africa, though not necessarily practiced by more people. A dozen years after the collapse of apartheid and introduction of majority rule, citizens of tribal descent are increasingly inclined to revive cultural traditions, often in conflict with neighbours of African, European and Asian descent.

Myolisi Gophe of The Cape Argus writes,

The bellowing of the dying cow when slaughtered in the Xhosa ritual is indicative that the ceremony is accepted by ancestors, but to animal welfare organizations it is cruelty. (quote from Animal People Newspaper)

National SPCA inspector Kingstone Sizaba said the Xhosa belief is bull and doesn't hold any water. The crying (of the animal) is a sign of pain and suffering and not a communication with anybody (from Animal People Newspaper, November 2006). Senior Veterinarian at Animal Rescue writes;

Whilst I in no way condone cultural practices that involve suffering of any kind to any creature, in my opinion those of us that eat meat should bear in mind that however humanely animals reared for consumption end up on supermarket shelves, neatly packaged in polystyrene and plastic, some form of fear, pain and suffering is inevitable along the way.

In a recent radio interview on Cape Talk 567 mw and Radio 702, a number of callers expressed their opinions. Dr Nokuzola Mndende a representative from the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities based in Johannesburg vehemently defended the right of African’s to uphold the ritual slaughter tradition and slammed the SPCA as being an organization of “whites, with white men’s policies”. She questioned the SPCA spokesperson as to what she meant by trauma and cruelty and was baffled that there was so much concern over the welfare of slaughter animals.

Mutual respect and tolerance.
While animal welfare and rights activists are asked to respect the right to practice traditional animal slaughter customs, those upholding the custom must in return respect the views of those who disagree with their practice.

KdK

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KdK

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September 2006 - June 2007

I first saw him from behind the yellow and red chevron painted onto the concrete floor at the goods receiving end of the large warehouse. Sitting up in his travel box I saw the fawn shape of the French bulldog in the photograph the breeder had sent me almost 3 months ago. He had written on the back - I am sorry he would not stay still! Archie was sitting still now, and curious! He was looking out from behind the wire netting as he was been trundled across the rough floor in his travel box, regally positioned on top of a trolley. I already knew the exact angle of his ears and the precise position of his black mask that emphasized his shiny black eyes. Like some long anticipated and dreamed about giant present, in a bright red wagon pulled along a gravel path early one Christmas morning, along time ago.

The trolley was pulled out into the sunlight and the travel box loaded into the back of the 4x4. I opened the door and Archie hesitantly came out to greet me. I picked him up and held him so tightly I was afraid he might not be able to breath. Welcome to Africa Archie. It was a perfect day, and heading back to town on that perfect summers day, Table Mountain looked more spectacular than ever. Little Archie home at last!

At night Archie had taken to settling at my feet once I was in bed and seemed to be very comfortable there. He would not be without me and followed me around everywhere, sitting or sleeping in his basket under my desk in the studio - even when I left for a site meet his attention could not be diverted from his favorite toy or tasty treat! He would follow me down the stairs, but only to the stair landing and would no go any further. I could call or dance or take out a treat or pretend I was walking away by stamping my feet - but he would not budge. I would have to pick him up and carry him down the last eight steps. Maybe he thought that if he stopped there I would not go out? That's my boy - Archie!

He was on a cortisone [so there was some hair loss [ the vet said it will grow back – and some did ] and at his bi weekly then monthly checkups he began to do well. We thought we would lose him at one stage after been out of intensive care and back home he collapsed after a trip in the car to puppy socializing, and had to be back into ICU and have a plasma transfusion – only to have a violent reaction to it. The vets were marvelous and managed to balance the reaction with an antidote. I would love to have been put on a serious dose of dormicum my self -by then! He gained approx 3 kg since arrival and then weighed 12.3 kg. I think that’s about it for breed standard? His blood count never dropped sufficiently to be in the desirable zone. Bilirubin peaking at just over 200. Albumen and other counts varied constantly. Finally a plasma transfusion helped and he pulled thru. Visits to the vet first weekly then bi weekly for blood tests etc continued.

To make sure that there was as little or no permanent damage to the liver he was ultrasounded monthly and had biopsies taken with follow ups. As the liver is a regenerative organ and the specialist seems to think he will have no lasting liver damage we changed his diet to fat free home cooked – not dried dog food – we also had several scares of contaminated dog food while he was with us.

According to the eye specialist whom he saw monthly at first – I treated the eyes twice a day with Optimum–they began to improve – and even become clearer. The specialist said that they may have never be completely clear – but that it would not affect his vision, long term. It would remain an aesthetic thing. Nothing really, for us to have been worried about. The right eye was just slightly bigger than the other – making him just like me- and hardly noticeable. He developed a small ulcer under the top lid of the right eye which we were monitoring.

As I mentioned we found that he suffered form car sickness very easily and even a drive to the park could set him off. It must have been a really uncomfortable trip for him from Wales to Ryslip then onto Heathrow and Cape Town. As we know he had been ill in the travel box and must have been ill during transit. Each time in the car he would be ill and we managed to give him anti nausea tablets to ease that and we eventually almost got it right.

He loved smoked salmon, rare roast beef and a free range roast chicken – even fresh tuna with a drop of olive oil, carob [no chocolate!] and anything that looked or tasted like a pencil. And in an architects studio there are masses of them about!
He was absolutely adorable and I just loved his colour and his temperament. He was the loveliest little dog and we had such fun together. My perfect companion!

Winter had started and we had switched on the under floor heating – he had selected the hot spots and stretched out full length tummy to the ground- like a tired rabbit! I loved his beautiful tail and black mask, he was true to the breed - a real comic!
He was well socialized with other dogs of all breeds and with all the passing adults and clients in the studio. With children he seemed to be a little suspicious so we integrated them with treats and fun. He was getting better and better especially with children that visited regularly.

We do not have a swimming pool but a rather large and deep koi pond. We had puppy proofed it by fitting huge fixed timber garden lattices over it while we decide how to fix it more aesthetically. We thought of a black metal grid or something and wanted to have it sorted by summer.

Periodically he would take a turn for the worse and would be put back in intensive care having to have his abdomen drained of between 1,7 and 2 liters of fluid. The ascities would be cured in a day at intensive care and we would bring him home and he would weigh about 9 kg. looking very thin but with masses of energy. The plasma transfusions helped enormously. Unfortunately only temporarily. He would gain weight for about 10 days or 2 weeks and the cycle would start again.
Yesterday I had taken my sister the airport, as she was going the coast to some friends for the week end and Carmen called me to say that Archie had been ill again and had wet his basket. By the time I got back I could see that he was deteriorating quickly. He was shivering and a few more bouts of nausea followed. By midday I asked Carmen to call our vet.

Back in the studio, I picked Archie up in his blanket, but he wanted to walk. I put him down on the floor and he followed me downstairs, but only to the stair landing where he stopped. I reached down to pick him up knowing that this would be the last time my boy would wait on the landing for me. I knew our fate had been decided. We were getting ready to say goodbye. In my bedroom I switched on the heating and got onto the bed and waited for the door bell to ring.

When Archie arrived in January it was the middle of our summer and it was hot, the same bedroom had also been darkened and cooled, there was a bowl of water and I had drawn the curtains as his eyes seemed sensitive to the bright Southern African light. I had covered the bed side lamp with a scarf so that the glare from the bulb would not worry him. We cuddled and I petted him - so excited about at last having my Archie with me. I was concerned that he was so thin and was drinking a lot and had begun to be nauseas.

It felt as if we were back where we had started – all that was different was the season, it had been a bright shiny hot summer now the cold wet winter had come. Archie had not changed, he jumped from the bed and went for a drink. I wanted to take the bowl away because I knew that he would be ill, and if he was that I would not be able to have him with me anymore.
I let him drink as much as he wanted. I knew that our time together had come to and end.
The door bell rang and the vet and his assistant Katharine, who had also fallen in love with Archie, came into the warm bedroom. It wasn't long and my beloved companion and comic friend lay dieing in my arms.
Go well - Archie Moses - go well!

KdK

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