SPCA vows to fight for ailing animals at Bloemfontein Zoo

The SPCA says the welfare of animals at the Bloemfontein Zoo has been compromised to such an extent that it does not have faith that the situation can be reversed with sustainability.

“The public and Bloemfontein community have known, as have we, for a long time that the welfare of the animals at the zoo was not ideal,” the organisation said in a post on Facebook.

An SPCA inspector and team that had been monitoring the zoo recently discovered that  animals appeared to have been mistreated or were underfed.

The zoo was temporarily closed in December 2019 after an inspection by the department of economic, small business development, tourism and environmental affairs and the SPCA but the animals and staff remained there.

“We have now reached the point where we can confidently say that we have explored all avenues, and that the welfare of the animals inside the zoo is compromised, to such an extent that we do not have faith that it can be reversed with sustainability,” said the SPCA on Thursday.

While the SPCA dealt with various cases related to the wellbeing of animals, it cited capacity issues in terms of dealing with the animals at the zoo.

“By no means are we shifting blame or denying responsibility, but we work within the framework of the law, and we have to, once we decide to lay charges, be able to show the court, that will expect us to, that we have exhausted all possible avenues to get the zoo to an acceptable welfare standard for its inhabitants.

“While we appreciate the support of the public by delivering food for the animals, we still hold the Mangaung Municipality responsible to care for them and provide food, water and medical care. In events prior to the current situation we have issued warnings, and the situation would improve, but sadly fall back into unacceptable conditions,” said the SPCA.

Manguang Municipality spokesperson Qondile Khedama acknowledged on Friday that there had been a myriad of issues at the zoo that the municipality had been working towards resolving.

He said representatives had visited the zoo recently to assess the situation and condition of the animals. 

“Among other issues we have noted a serious lack of, or insufficient resources but an urgent meeting has since been called for an engagement with various stakeholders,” he said.

The SPCA said it would fight for the animals until they were properly cared for or relocated.