Boerboel breeder found guilty of animal cruelty in South Africa
Boerboel breeder found guilty of animal cruelty in South Africa
The Mossel Bay Magistrate’s Court found him guilty of three counts of animal cruelty in terms the Animal Protection Act 71 of 1962.
GARDEN ROUTE NEWS – A local businessman and owner of Plaaswag Boerboele was found guilty of animal cruelty charges today, 10 July, in the Mossel Bay Magistrate’s Court.
Lionel Marais faced several charges for his violation of the Animal Protection Act 71 of 1962 after 68 Boerboels in various stages of neglect were removed from Plaaswag Boerboele in May 2022 by the Garden Route SPCA.
Deyce found that:
Count 1
Marais unlawfully and intentionally, unnecessarily starved or underfed or denied water to 68 dogs.
Count 2
He did unlawfully and intentionally ill treat, neglect and maim 11 dogs by “maiming their tails”, which the SPCA refers to as “tail docking”.
Count 3
Marais did unlawfully and unintentionally fail to provide adequate veterinary treatment or medical treatment or pain medication for various medical conditions which caused unnecessary suffering; allowed an animal to be infected with parasites; and failed to provide necessary preventative treatment to 68 dogs.
The case was remanded to 16 August for sentencing.
The Garden Route SPCA Mossel Bay notes in a statement to Mossel Bay Advertiser that the organisation is appreciative of the guilty verdict.
“This has been a long, hard road, but our team refused to give up. We will never forget what we faced that day when we removed those dogs,” the statement reads.
Following the guilty verdict, Marais told the Advertiser paper he had been advised by his attorney not to say anything at this stage, and that he may comment after sentencing is handed down.
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