South Africa declares cat ‘serial killer’ wanted

By Bisola Adeyemo

The serial killer of about 30 cats has been declared wanted on Wednesday, by the police and the Animal Welfare Society Manenberg, in Cape Town, South Africa.

A resident Abdul Karriem Adams, who alerted other neighbours said he found a dead cat with its abdomen been cut open and intestines spilt out in his yard on 15 July, whereby he took to social media to create awareness on it.

“After a while, I found out that there [have] already been… about six or seven cats before that have been slaughtered and thrown into our neighbour’s yard. It’s only because now I’ve made it public that people have come out.

“We found two cats in front of the church, in front of my neighbour’s [house], in my yard, in front of the school…and opposite the police station,” he told News 24.

Allan Perrins, spokesperson of the Animal Welfare Society (AWS), confirmed that 30 dead cats have been found in different locations in the city, adding that graphic images of cat carcasses were still being sent in as they were being discovered.

“All of the cats are being found dead and all of them have what appears to be a gaping hole in their abdomen. What makes this case complex or perplexing is that there’s no blood on the scene, so it’s almost as though the cats are being taken from their homes, killed at a location and then dumped at a different location.

“We are going to conduct an in-depth autopsy on the cats’ bodies, and that will hopefully steer the investigation in a certain direction. We would be able to, for example, see if there are bite wounds and whether those bite wounds were sustained ante- or post-mortem, whether or not there were stab wounds or whatever the case may be,” he said.

No firm distinction has been made whether an animal or person is responsible for the cat killings, but they are exploring all options, he said.

“As long as we keep up the momentum, there is bound to be a breakthrough,” Perrins said.

Residents have been urged to come forward with any information by calling the AWS on 021 692 2626 or 082 601 1761.