R26 000 to nail cat's killers
2005-05-25 16:20
Durban - Johannesburg radio presenter Jeremy Mansfield of Highveld 94.7 has joined the growing list of people who have offered money to identify those who microwaved a live cat at a University of KwaZulu-Natal residence.
SPCA inspector Roland Fivaz said Mansfield's wife contacted him on Wednesday on behalf of her husband and pledged an amount of R10 000, pushing their reward for information up to R26 000.
"I'm just happy that people like Jeremy Mansfield feel so strongly about cruelty to animals" said Fivaz.
He said most of the money came from individuals and two companies.
Tango the cat was cooked alive in a microwave oven in a communal kitchen in the Pinewood men's residence at the university about two weeks ago.
Found remains in microwave
Tango's owner was Nareen Rambharren, chief of security services on the campus.
A cleaner had found the cat's remains in the microwave in the communal kitchen.
According to Fivaz, the SPCA received four anonymous tip-offs a day after the incident.
He said by that time Tango had already been buried and "we had to get the cat's body out of the ground and had to take photos and send the body to vet diagnostics".
On Monday, 30 of the 49 students living in the residence handed in reports of where they had been on the night of the incident.
Fivaz was due to meet them again and said he was "hoping to cut down my list of suspects."
- SAPA