Animalwelfare andrights inSouth Africa is about the treatment of and laws concerning non-human animals in South Africa.
The Animal Protection Act 1962 covers "domestic animals and birds, and wild animals, birds, and reptiles that are in captivity or under the control of humans."[1]
The Act contains a detailed list of prohibited acts of cruelty including overloading, causing unnecessary suffering due to confinement, chaining or tethering, abandonment, unnecessarily denying food or water, keeping in a dirty or parasitic condition, or failing to provide veterinary assistance. There is also a general provision prohibiting wanton, unreasonable, or negligible commission or omission of acts resulting in unnecessary suffering. The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for 2013/14 to 2016/17 mentions updating animal protection legislation.[1]
The anti-cruelty provisions of the Animal Protection Act 1962 apply to farmed animals. The Livestock Welfare Coordinating Committee (LWCC), managed by the South African Meat Industry Company, has the power to deal with production and game animal issues in farming. TheNSPCA serves on the LWCC and ensures that animal welfare standards are being met and promoted.[1]
In 2014, South Africa received a D out of possible grades A,B,C,D,E,F,G onWorld Animal Protection's Animal Protection Index.[1]
According to Tatjana von Bormann, coordinator of theWorld Wide Fund for Nature/Conservation International GreenChoice Project, "Beef in South Africa is mostly produced in feedlots or factory farms".[2] Pigs are alsofarmed intensively.[3]
The number of cattle in South Africa increased by roughly 1 million in 1994 to around 14.1 million in 2010. Beef consumption increased by 20% between 2000 and 2009.[4] From 2007-2015 chicken consumption increased by over 5% and pig consumption by 4% per year.[5] According to a 2013 source, roughly 1 billion chickens are slaughtered each year in South Africa.[6]
De-beaking, de-toeing,tail-docking, tooth pulling,castration, anddehorning of livestock without anaesthetic are illegal,[6] as is confinement ingestation crates andbattery cages.[5] TheNSPCA has given the pork industry until 1 January 2017 to phase out the use ofgestation crates or else the organisation will prosecute the farmers and industry for contravening Section 2(1)(b) of the Animals Protection Act No 71 of 1962 for unnecessary confinement that causes suffering.[7]
Animal experimentation, includingtesting cosmetics on animals, is legal in South Africa.[8] South Africa does not keep statistics on the number of animals used in research.[9] TheNSPCA serves on various animal ethics committees to ensure that animals are not unnecessarily abused when used in research. No registered research is taking place inSouth Africa for cosmetic purposes.
Animal activist organizations in South Africa include:
These cats are often desperate for attention and they believe that it is their duty to do everything that they can to give them a second chance.
Their philosophy centers around responsible pet guardianship and all our cats and kittens are therefore re-homed through an affordable, all-inclusive adoption package.
They use the registered awareness initiative, Be Wise Sterilise, to drive our philosophy. By focusing on the root of the problem, lack of sterilization, they believe that they can significantly reduce the number of homeless animals, overcrowded shelters and the unnecessary suffering of victims of irresponsible pet guardians.