The Free State SAPS Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit has warned that illegal hunting with dogs is a serious criminal gateway often linked to stock theft, poaching, and malicious damage to property.

Anyone found on fenced land with dogs and no permit may be required to prove they were not there to steal livestock or game.

Hunters must have written consent from the owner or lawful occupier. The unit specifically targets organised events where groups are transported to farms with large numbers of dogs, sometimes up to 60 animals.

Entry without permission is a direct violation of the Trespass Act. The stock theft unit often collaborates with the SPCA to bring additional charges under the Animal Protection Act if hunting methods cause unnecessary suffering.

Illegal dog hunting threatens wildlife

Anyone planning a hunt must contact the local Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) or the relevant provincial conservation office to confirm current regulations and apply for the correct permits.

Consumptive hunting without these documents can lead to arrest and the confiscation of equipment and vehicles.

Illegal hunting with dogs poses a growing threat to biodiversity, farming operations and rural safety in the Free State, according to Free State Agriculture (FSA) and local reports.

Large groups enter private farms and game reserves unlawfully, using packs of dogs to chase down, maim and kill livestock and wild animals.

Incidents occur frequently in the Goldfields (Welkom) region, as well as Dewetsdorp, Excelsior, Reitz, Smithfield, Tweespruit and Ventersburg.

‘Taxi hunting’ phenomenon

In what is called the ‘taxi hunting’ phenomenon, urban residents transport packs of dogs in vehicles to farms for organised hunts, often including gambling on the outcome. FSA notes this extends beyond subsistence hunting.

Farmers report losses of livestock and game, damaged fencing, trespassing and aggressive behaviour from hunting groups.

The NSPCA reports that animals are often torn apart while alive. The hunting dogs themselves are frequently malnourished, untreated for injuries and abused.

Free State provincial ordinances permit farmers to shoot dogs not under immediate supervision. However, farmers receive advice to exercise caution to avoid false complaints of violent crime from perpetrators.

Illegal hunting with dogs violates the Free State Nature Conservation Ordinance No. 8 of 1969, the Animal Protection Act 71 of 1962, and the Stock Theft Act.

No one may hunt with dogs without a valid permit issued by DESTEA (Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs).

Landowners are advised to report all incidents, photograph the suspects and dogs, and involve the local SPCA for the seizure of the dogs.

The act of hunting with dogs is illegal, not only in terms of the Animals Protection Act no 71 of 1962, but also this act contravenes the various Provincial Nature Conservation Ordinances.

Many animals that are hunted are threatened or endangered species and hunting these species contravenes the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act no 10 of 2004.