GEORGE NEWS - Two attacks in the last six months by off-leash dogs on forestry workers in the Witfontein plantation have sparked fresh calls for dog walkers to respect trail rules.
George Herald can confirm that in the most recent attack, one or more workers were bitten.
The George Joint Marketing Association (GJMA) is the custodian of George Trails, and according to the general trail use guidelines published on the George Trails website, dogs must be kept on a leash at all times.
While the National Forest Act does not include provision specifically about leashing dogs, the George Municipality by-law relating to the keeping of dogs, cats and other animals clearly states that no dog may be in any public street or public place unless it is contained on a leash and under control - unless the area is officially designated as a free-running zone. With Witfontein being a public forest area within the George Municipality, the by-law applies.
The GJMA’s chairperson, Charl Marais, warns that repeated transgression of this and other trail rules, negotiated in co-operation with the various land owners and lessees who operate on land containing the vast network of trails, may result in certain pockets of land being closed off to the public. Such an extreme measure would render other sections of the trail network that might still be open to the public inaccessible.
Forestry teams at work in the Witfontein forest. Photo: Este Smit
Central Timber Co-operative Ltd, commonly known as CTC, is the timber company contracted by the national Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment to run commercial forestry operations at Witfontein.
The Witfontein plantation, therefore, is CTC’s ‘office’ and needs to be respected as such.
While the CTC declined to comment at this time, Marais warned that having their workers repeatedly attacked by free-running dogs or being frequently put at risk of public liability when trail users ignore temporary trail closure signs in areas where tree harvesting is taking place, could force the company to revoke public access. This would inevitably also sever access to other parts of George Trails that are best accessed via Witfontein, such as the trails above the FM tower, which in turn could strike a severe blow to tourism in George.
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