The City of Cape Town welcomes the promulgation of the amended Animal Keeping By-Law.

The by-law replaces the Animal By-law of 2010 which focused on guiding pet ownership, the welfare of working equines etc.

The amended by-law is far more comprehensive and provides a very clear guide to animal owners or care-givers, breeders of animals and the public at large, as to how to apply the duty to care principle to all animals within the City’s jurisdiction.

Some of the elements that have been retained in the amended by-law include guidelines on the number of animals to be kept on specific properties and working equines.

And, while the previous by-law contained provisions around mandatory sterilization in specific circumstances, the amended by-law has a general mandatory sterilization clause.

We have also included new sections relating to dog fighting, provided guidelines on the keeping of other categories of animals like bees, and we have expanded the scope beyond breeders and kennels, to also consider places of business like pet parlours, pet day care centres and hotels, as well as persons operating in the animal welfare sector.

The by-law even accounts for the hygiene standards for the keeping of animals, and also addresses the issue of the keeping and slaughtering of animals for religious, cultural, ceremonial and own consumption purposes.

Following its promulgation, the City will now set out to start educating the public on the provisions of the by-law, in partnership with the animal welfare sector.

In particular, animal sterilisation is now mandatory, unless an exemption is granted in terms of the by-law. Details on exemption applications will be made public in due course, once our Standard Operating Procedure is finalised.

The City of Cape Town has a long track record of promoting animal welfare, both through its relationships with the animal welfare sector, but also through legislation.

We are increasingly spending huge amounts of budgets on health and safety programmes dedicated to animals.

We have also seen an increase in the number of complaints around animal welfare, which is placing immense pressure on the SPCA and other organisations in the animal welfare sector, but also the City’s Law Enforcement Department.

This amended by-law will go a long way in helping to address these issues and ensuring that Cape Town is a city that continues to champion the rights of animals.

Source: City Of Cape Town