Nearly 40 animal lovers of all ages and backgrounds marched through the streets of Stanford on Saturday (31 August) to raise awareness of the spate of incidents that saw defenceless animals being brutally attacked and injured.
The group carried colourful posters as they marched from the community hall (Die Stoor) through the village and headed to the Stanford Police Station, where they handed a letter over to the police, calling on authorities to take more decisive action against perpetrators of animal abuse.
The march was organised by Stanford Animal Welfare Society (SAWS) and Stanford Community Policing Forum (CPF) following a slew of incidents in recent months where animals were badly abused, neglected and even stabbed. In one incident someone’s beloved pet was found hanging from a tree (“SAWS takes a firm stand”, Hermanus Times, 7 August 2024).
The two organisations also handed a petition signed by more than 400 people over to the Overstrand Executive Mayor, Dr Annelie Rabie, on a previous occasion.
Vanessa Tedder, CPF Execo PR, thanked everyone who participated in the march on behalf of the CPF and SAWS. She added: “It has become imperative for us to speak on behalf of those who can’t.”
