PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Social media posts were doing the rounds in the past week about a leopard attacking and killing 18 pigs in Kranshoek - but a camera trap put up around the pig pens revealed that the most likely culprits were free-roaming dogs.
Arthur Keyser, head of the Kranshoek Rapid Response team and a Bitou ward 7 committee member, who attended to the incident along with other active members, said he could not confirm that the attacks were perpetrated by a leopard.
"I can't confirm that it was a leopard that attacked the pigs," he said.
Subsequent observation by Keyser and a bush-cam he placed at the pig pens only revealed pictures of dogs.
Keyser said roaming dogs were a big problem in Kranshoek, but as soon as there was a problem with a dog, no one admitted to owning it.
In all 18 pigs were savaged and killed during two nights, between Sunday 17 and 18 August, at pig pens on smallholdings in Kranshoek. Their heads were ripped off.
Major financial loss
They all belonged to one person, who suffered a major financial loss.
Keyser said the owner is a very private person and did not want his identity revealed and "just wants to move on".
Keyser said during the first night 13 pigs were killed. The next night five were killed.
He then set up the bush-cam and the footage retrieved showed a pack of dogs. He said he couldn't find any signs of a leopard.
In past years leopards have been spotted inside Kranshoek village by residents but no serious incidents were reported.
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