Lid put on dog-smuggling case

Interpol, information shut-down and secret locations - all the makings of the latest James Bond movie.

Instead, these are some of the elements characterising what appears to be the theft and cross-border smuggling of hundreds of man's best friends.

Details of the grand-scale theft, believed to be part of a transnational dog-smuggling syndicate, are conflicting.

Animal activists are providing their own version of events.

It is for this reason that the SPCA's Wendy Willson said a decision had been taken to enforce an "information shut down".

Information from the police indicates that the theft of the dogs occurred in Cape Town.

National police spokesman Captain Dennis Adriao said that some of the dogs stolen in Cape Town were tracked to Angola.

They were apparently smuggled out through Namibia.

"I can only talk on behalf of Interpol South Africa," said Adriao.

"Interpol got involved because this has to do with other countries. Interpol is trying to get the dogs - which have been identified as stolen - back to their owners in South Africa."

Cape Town police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel André Traut would not divulge details of the thefts.

"The circumstances surrounding the matter are still being investigated.

"No one has been arrested as yet," said Traut.

Adding to the bizarre tale is the story of two women who spotted dogs being transported in Namibia, according to crime fighting organisation eBlockwatch.

The founder of eBlockwatch, Andre Snyman, said the women followed the men and confronted them.

"They challenged these guys and these guys started pushing them around," said Snyman, who assisted in getting police to the scene.

There has been talk that the dogs are being held at a secret location at a place of safety, and that dirty veterinarians were involved, but none of this could be confirmed.

Willson said South African dogs were frequently taken over the border.

"They are not necessarily smuggled but the way in which they are transported sometimes raises questions.

"Dogs are bought after potential owners see adverts in newspapers, on internet sites, or people buy them from backyard breeders.

"We have puppies going to Kenya, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Nigeria," said Willson.

"It tends to be more often large breeds, such as rottweilers and boerboels."