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Zim: Pets, livestock bear brunt
20/01/2003 20:47 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Animals are among the victims of Zimbabwe's land invasion crisis, with evidence accruing of abuse of domestic pets and livestock, the SA Veterinary Association said on Monday.
The association said an incident occurred on a farm near Karoi, in which some 70 armed youths claiming to be war veterans broke into a farmer's stables and tied his favourite horse to a pole.
They attached a noose around the horse's hind legs, tied it to another pole, poured petrol all over the stable, lit a match and then ran away, locking the stable door behind them, the association said.
On seeing the flames, the farmer, fired several shots in the air - driving the invaders away - and ran to the stable to rescue his horse.
Unfortunately the horse had already been badly burnt and had to be shot, said the veterinarians, who are in the process of collecting money as well as donations of veterinary supplies and food to assist their colleagues in Zimbabwe.
The group said cases such as the one above were not unusual.
It said that often groups of between 20 to 200 armed men would go onto a white-owned farm, demand that the farmer gather what he could and vacate within a couple of hours, leaving his pets and livestock behind.
Although in some cases farmers manage to return and evacuate their pets, in most cases they arrive too late.
"There have been numerous cases of invaders stoning dogs, breaking limbs, and burning a cat before the owners manage to get these animals to safety.
"In the case of livestock the invaders usually burn the grazing, causing the cattle to starve. In some cases the cattle get burnt as well.
"There have been numerous cases of these people attacking cattle with axes, snaring them and severing their Achilles tendons," the association said.
- SAPA
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