Windhoek
Namibian Police Force spokesperson Edwin Kanguatjivi has said the decision whether to charge the owner of the pitbull dogs that mauled to death a 13-year-old boy on Saturday rests with the Prosecutor-General (PG) Martha Imalwa.
Fred Savage’s fun bicycle ride in the company of his friends after a weekend out from the school hostel ended in tragedy.
Speaking to New Era yesterday, Kanguatjivi made it very clear that only the PG could decide on a warrant of arrest and the charges thereafter. “What will happen now is the Namibian Police (Force) will only interview the owner of the two dogs and then the interview will be forwarded to the office of the PG to decide,” explained Kanguatjivi.
Yesterday afternoon, a family member of the deceased disclosed that some family members had met the owner of the two dogs that mauled the teenager to death but she could not divulge what transpired, citing she was not present when they met the owner.
Meanwhile, City Police spokesperson Cillie Auala could not confirm whether the two dogs were registered with municipal authorities as required.
“We contacted our registrar’s office and they could not tell as well. Dogs are registered annually and the next financial year will be on July 1. At this stage, we are still failing to get hold of the dogs’ owner so that we can request documentation of the pitbulls,” explained Auala.
She added that in this case the owner might be fined or given a warning and the fine will depend on whether the dog owner had previously received a warning.
Auala, however, cautioned people to do research on the types of pets they intend to domesticate, as some of them are highly dangerous.
When asked if there are any laws or regulations restricting what kind of canine breeds people could domesticate, Auala said currently there are no such laws.
Instead she said: “The city council is in the process of amending the regulations on how to domesticate pets and to put measures that will ban domesticating certain pets, as is practised in other countries. “
Due to the danger pitbulls and other domestic animals have posed in societies, countries such as Singapore, the Netherlands and Poland, among others, have forbidden entry of pitbulls into their territories.
Meanwhile, the chairperson of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Sylvia Breitenstein explained to New Era yesterday that pitbulls were initially bred to fight one another or can only fight other animals. She claimed that they rarely attack human beings. “They are very friendly to humans compared to other animals,” she added.
Breitenstein said when pitbulls attack humans, it can only depend on how the owner treats them. For instance, if they are not used to people or they are being teased and threatened by people. “In such cases, pitbulls will feel threatened and may attack if they encounter a similar incidence.”
She said, “Although in some cases this can stem from the time when the dogs are separated from their mothers and the society”, the condition under which they will grow up also has an effect. “If they are not used to something they will be uncomfortable,” she said, adding, “You find that some dogs will react to skin colour because they have never seen something of that nature and might be used to a certain skin colour.”