Following the killing of Ragnir, a Rottweiler dog, to be sold as kapana meat, sending shockwaves through the community, the Tierschutzverein (SPCA) Swakopmund has spoken out against the way dogs are regarded in Namibian law.
Tierschutzverein chairperson Desiree Nel highlights the organisation’s stance against the killing of dogs for meat trade and says this case is not an isolated incident but rather part of an ongoing trend.
“The sad reality is this is what we face regularly. Luckily for Ragnir, he has a family willing to fight for him and to see change,” she says.
She calls for change in the Animal Protection Act and the creation of clear codes surrounding crimes involving dogs under which the public can lay criminal charges.
“Right now, if a dog is stolen ‘it is theft of property’, if a dog bites someone it is ‘assault with a deadly weapon’. Dogs are not inanimate, replaceable objects,” she says.
“Our hearts go out to Ms Titus and Ragnir’s family,” Nel says.
Ragnir was reportedly stolen on 1 February from his owner’s yard at the Matutura residential area.
Four suspects are believed to have killed him with an axe and then sold the carcass to a kapana trader for N$200. The trader then sold the barbequed dog’s meat to customers.
The four suspects were heard in the Swakopmund Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, where they were granted bail.
Swakopmund animal lovers gathered outside the court to show their support for Catherine Titus, the dog’s owner, demanding justice.
