WARNING: Video contains graphic content which may upset sensitive readers
A video has gone viral of men who apparently decapitated a dolphin at Sonwabe beach in Strandfontein.
The 23-second video was made by a member of the public and shows the bloodied carcass of the sea mammal lying in the sand while the two men inside an Ford bakkie with a CM registration drive off.
SPOTTED: Men in Isuzu bakkie
Yesterday City of Cape Town officials confirmed steps would be taken against the men and that they were in possession of the carcass.
The incident took place on Sunday just after 9.30am and the video was handed over to authorities who have managed to locate the suspects.
Marian Nieuwoudt, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, says they are shocked and that action will be taken against the perpetrators
“I’m utterly dismayed and shocked by this incident,” she says.
“An eyewitness informed the City about the alleged incident at 9.30am on 23 March.
“A dolphin’s head was hacked off at Sonwabe Beach, close to Strandfontein, by suspects who also drove on the beach illegally.
“The City’s Law Enforcement and Coastal Management Branch are collaborating with the National Department of Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries in prosecuting the individuals involved for illegal beach driving, as well as the possession of a protected species.
GORY: Video of dead dolphin on Sonwabe beach
“We have also handed over the carcass to the DEFF for further investigation and prosecution.”
Meanwhile, Inspector Wayne Dyason of the City’s Law Enforcement says the matter will be reported to the SPCA.
The act of catching and hunting dolphins is illegal, he said.