Woman accused of killing ‘nuisance’ dogs

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A BULAWAYO prosecutor has accused a resident who poisoned her neighbours’ nine dogs of deliberately killing the canines because she regarded them as a “nuisance”.

A BULAWAYO prosecutor has accused a resident who poisoned her neighbours’ nine dogs of deliberately killing the canines because she regarded them as a “nuisance”.

BY SILAS NKALA

Kudakwashe Jaravaza said Rosemary Ann Collen wanted to kill her neighbour’s dogs because they annoyed her.

However, Collen (67) of Douglasdale suburb, who is charged under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, on Thursday told magistrate Merilyn Mutshina that it was not her intention to kill the animals.

She said she wanted to get rid of flies so as to maintain hygiene on her premises. Collen admitted applying the insecticide into pits nearer her house, but said she was not the owner of the abattoir where chickens were slaughtered.

She said it was run by her son-in-law and her daughter. She said the couple had been running the abattoir for two years.

“You said you once called the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) over the dogs which were being a nuisance at your premises, but they were not forthcoming, is it not because of that you had to administer poison where you knew dogs would go and feed on the blood so you would have them killed?” Jaravaza asked.

Collen maintained she did not want to kill the dogs although she knew the chemical she used was dangerous.

Collen’s employee, Sondo Sibanda, told the court that he saw the dogs that died at his employer’s premises and they were nine. He said they were buried in one of the pits on the premises.

The magistrate remanded the case to June 30 for ruling.

On Wednesday one of the complainants, Marvis Sitsha (51) of Hope Fountain Farm in Umguza, told the court that she searched for her dogs for four days only to be told by a neighbour that some dogs were found dead at Collen’s premises.

She said the dogs were buried by Collen’s staff and she feared to approach the accused because she was known for her short temper.

Another complainant, Ephraim Mabika (34) of Douglasdale, said his dogs went to Collen’s place and ate poison.

An SPCA official, Dumisani Sibanda, said investigations established that Collen had administered poison into pits close to her abattoirs where she disposed chicken feathers and blood.

He said Collen’s property was not fenced off.