Calls grow for stricter enforcement of animal bylaws after fatal dog attack
Calls for stronger animal by-law enforcement are growing after a fatal dog attack in Durban raised concerns over stray dogs and public safety.
There is a growing call for better enforcement of animal bylaws to prevent more fatal dog attacks.
Twenty-eight-year-old Nomvula Ndlela was killed last week after being attacked by three canines while walking in Woodlands, south of Durban.
Police say she was found lying on the side of the road at the corner of Atherstone Place and Norwich Crescent.
Ward 64 Councillor Norman Gilbert has met with police, animal welfare groups, and the local Community Policing Forum to discuss ways to prevent future incidents.
He says key issues included outdated bylaws, a growing population of stray dogs, irresponsible breeding, and a lack of public awareness.
" A dog is not allowed to be on the street if it's not on a leash that is held by a person who is able to control that dog. You can go into most wards around eThekwini, and you will see dogs on literally every second street just wandering around. And that is a function of the metropolitan police to police that.
“But they're not resourced. They don't have the equipment to be able to catch dogs. I don't believe their officers are even trained in how to catch dogs. And then you know, the city doesn't have a pound. You know, if they catch the dogs, where do they take them to? The dogs that are caught are being housed at an SPCA pound.
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" This isn't unique to just my ward. This is happening in probably every ward in the city. We need to start somewhere, because it is a city problem.”
Meanwhile, community leaders on the south coast are also calling for stricter enforcement of animal bylaws after a series of reported dog attacks at Pennington Beach.
Local NPO Tidy Towns Pennington says the latest incident happened on Monday, when a waiter was allegedly bitten by a customer's dog at a restaurant.
Chairperson, Viv Sandwith, says it follows several other reported attacks in the area.
She says while the attacks involve different canines and owners, the common factor is that dogs aren't being properly controlled.
" If the dog's unknown, you have to actually have a tetanus shot and you possibly need to have rabies injections. So it can become quite costly for the victim, which is why one of the cases with the lady was bitten last week on her nose. She's had to be rushed to Kingsway Hospital for medical treatment. So dog walkers, owners of dogs, must be much more responsible than they've been. You know, you might find your dog's a super friendly dog at home, but you don't know how they react to another person or another dog on the beach."
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