Pit-bull mauls 9-year-old to death

Bridget Mabanda

Zimbabweans are asking for stiff penalties or the ban of pit-bull rearing in the country after a 9-year-old Harare girl died from injuries sustained in an attack.

In a statement the police said the minor died on admission at Parirenyatwa Hospital after being attacked by a pit-bull dog at a house in Whitecliffe, Harare, on March 25, 2023.

“My humble opinion is all those with pit-bulls should just surrender them to SPCA anyone found with a pit-bull should go to jail those are vicious animals same as a lion,” tweeted @Dereck77928587 in response to the police announcement.

“Why can't we ban pit-bulls in Zimbabwe?” queried @MhlangaJohanne on the same post.

The same sentiments were expressed on other social media platforms with most people saying that the owners of the killer dogs should be charged with murder.

A Harare man who owns two pit-bulls said that the dogs are great for security as they deter most criminals but they need proper facilities.

“These are not your ordinary man’s best friend kind of dog. They need to be in places with high walls and solid gates where access is very limited. You also must never have them on the premises if there are young children around,” he said.

The police further did not give further details on the Whitecliffe incident and said investigations are still underway.

A 68-year-old security guard was found dead last Sunday with multiple injuries after he was mauled by four pit-bulls at in Waterfalls, Harare.

Neighbouring South Africa has had several incidents of fatal attacks by pit-bulls. Racism has been raised in the emotional discussions on social media as a number of the victims were blacks killed by dogs belonging to white owners.

South African historian who specialises in the history of dogs in society Sandra Swart speaking on the situation in her own country has advised banning certain breeds of pit-bulls and enacting dog laws that put responsibility on the human owners:

“There are long term legislative actions that can be taken. The first is breed specific legislation (banning certain breeds), the other is dangerous dog laws (which target bad behaviour rather than bad breeds).

“Dangerous dog laws are complex, not such good public relations and they are expensive and require hard work. But dangerous dogs laws do work. They look at the prior behaviour of the individual dog, and they can be tweaked to include more focus on dogs from “power breeds” or dogs over a certain size.

“They are not a quick fix but, over time, they work by putting the responsibility over the dog squarely with the owner. It is like owning a gun – if you are negligent with that firearm, and someone gets hurt, you are criminally liable and face serious consequences including prison,” Swart said in an interview with theconversation.com.

According to Wikipedia pit bull-type dogs descend from the British Bull and terrier, a 19th-century dog-fighting type developed from crosses between the Old English Bulldog and the Old English Terrier. The dogs were specifically reared for blood sports of dog fighting and rat baiting.

Studies in the US have reported that compared with other dog breeds they are far more likely to attack unprovoked and often go off property to do so and more frequently identified with cases involving very severe injuries or fatalities than other breeds.