SPCA saves snake park rodent
21/07/2005 16:07  - (SA)  

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Johannesburg - The SPCA will lay criminal charges against a Polokwane reptile park for trying to feed a live guinea pig to an anaconda.

Richard Fraenkel, a member of the SPCA in Polokwane, was attending to a complaint received from the public at the Wildthingz park when he saw the distressed guinea pig in the anaconda's tank.

"The guinea pig backed into the farthest corner of the cage or tank and appeared to be in distress," the SPCA said.

"The guinea pig was removed and confiscated by the SPCA.

"It is the intention that criminal charges will be laid."

Feeding of live prey

The SPCA said an official warning under the Animals Protection Act would be issued to Wildthingz, instructing the park that the feeding of live prey must cease immediately and that criminal proceedings would be brought against it.

"The 'feeding of live prey' is a criminal offence in terms of the Animals Protection Act No 71 of 1962. It is the practice of placing a live animal in a captive situation with a predator, to be attacked and eaten," the SPCA said.

This was not to be confused with the prey-predator relationship in the wild, the SPCA added.

"Captive animals are in a completely different situation and 'feeding live prey' is often the easy way or soft route taken by people with captive animals.

"There are accepted and humane ways to feed captive predators."

No one from Wildthingz was available for comment.

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