Cape Town - Veterinarians across Cape Town have responded to horrific Guy Fawkes incidents which has left a cat with deep lacerations to its body after being caught in barbed wire while another was placed inside a bag filled with firecrackers - and in a separate case a dog had to be euthanised after being trapped on a fence.
Guy Fawkes celebrations might be over but vets across the city are holding their breaths for an influx of strays who may have runaway and for those hit by vehicles in a bid to escape fireworks last night.
At the Animal Welfare Society of South Africa in Philippi (AWS), they received three serious cases, according to Allan Perrins, Resource Development and Communications Officer.
“Over the course of the past 24 hours we admitted 2 cats and 1 dog with fireworks related injuries,” he explained.
Perrins said in one incident which took place in Kuils River, a cat was caught in barbed wire after trying to flee the firecrackers.
“One of the cats has extensive deep lacerations over more than 50% of her body after attempting to jump a high wall and getting stuck in barbed razor wire. Her prognosis is guarded,” said Perrins.
In a separate case in Mandalay, a male stray cat was rescued by a member of the public who had witnessed it being placed inside a bag filled with crackers by children.
Fortunately, the animal escaped without any injuries.
In a third incident in Mitchell’s Plain, a dog sustained injuries to his mouth and is in a serious but stable condition.
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA’s Belinda Abraham said they had responded to 21 concerning calls, one of which became fatal when a dog was caught on a fence and had to be euthanised.
“By midnight, we had fielded an additional 21 calls concerning injured and trapped animals, including a crow, a hadeda, a horse, a fallen fledgling bird, a cat stranded atop a pole, and two separate incidents involving dogs entangled in or caught on fencing,” she explained.
“Tragically, one of the dogs had sustained such severe injuries that it had to be euthanised upon admission, while the other was discovered wedged between the bars of a fence and is currently receiving treatment at our animal hospital.”
genevieve.serra@inl.co.za