/ 2 December 2009

Dead pets dumped at landfill site

The carcasses of dead pets are being dumped at a landfill site in Randfontein, west of Johannesburg, the Star reported on Tuesday.

The daily published pictures of a man dumping the carcasses from a white van bearing the logo of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

This is despite municipal rules that any carcass should be buried immediately.

According to the report, the carcasses and medical waste, apparently from veterinarians, are left out in the open for weeks.

National SPCA spokesperson Christine Kuch said the municipality was responsible for the burying of the animals.

She denied that the medical waste was dumped by the SPCA.

Kuch said ”decorum, respect and ethical treatment is required” when it came to the burial of animals.

The Randfontein municipality said it was in the process of boosting access control at the land site.

A municipality official admitted that the municipality did not always know what kind of animal waste was dumped there. — Sapa