Warning: Graphic content
GEORGE NEWS - A young calf from Thembalethu had to be euthanised after it was found with one hoof missing and another leg so badly injured that it could not be saved.
On Sunday 20 November, the Garden Route SPCA (GRSPCA) was called out to the scene in Thembalethu. "Someone phoned in and told us that there was a calf stuck with ropes around its legs and we must please go help it," said GRSPCA senior inspector Salomé Bruyns.
When Bruyns and trainee inspector John Boardman arrived on the scene they were met by a grim situation.
"The cow was standing with the calf, but part of the calf's one hind leg was amputated and the other was so severely injured by the ropes it was tied down with, that we couldn't save it."
The injuries were caused by the ropes that the cow owners tie around the bottom of their legs to keep them from wandering.
However, many of these ropes are very tight and leave no room for a calf's legs to grow. The rope eventually cuts into the skin and flesh, stops the blood flow and the leg amputates.
"It was extremely traumatic for all of us who attended. The poor calf must have been walking like that for a very long time. At this stage we can't give too many details as we are awaiting the vet's report," said Bruyns.
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