In recent months, more than 6 attacks have been recorded. They include:

According to DRK Tactical, on December 4, a one-year-old boy was bitten by his family’s pit bull in Hillary, near Queensburgh. It was reported that the dog had been kept separately as it was known to bite. It allegedly got out of its enclosure when a family member opened the door by mistake.

DRK said the child’s parents were able to get the victim away from the pit bull safely, and “no other injuries were reported”.

“They managed to get the dog back into its enclosure safely after the incident.

“The baby was assessed and stabilised, then transported to a local facility for further treatment and observations. The family had reportedly contacted the SPCA for advice and will be deciding their next steps regarding the dog.”

●

According to IOL, on November 26, a three-year-old boy was left critically injured after he was attacked by a pit bull in Watsonia Road on the Bluff. Paramedics said he had sustained multiple serious injuries as a result of the attack.

●

In another incident attended to by DRK. on November 20 in Parkhill, Durban North, a pit bull-crossstaffy attacked a domestic worker,

●

54, while he was cleaning the yard. The home owner, 55, tried to stop the dog from attacking the man and the dog turned on her. Both victims sustained multiple dog bites and were taken to local hospitals.

According to Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa), on November 20, an elderly couple were attacked by their pit bulls at their home in Dawncrest in Verulam. The dogs were apparently fighting with monkeys in the yard when the 80-year-old man and his 73-year-old wife intervened. The couple sustained numerous bite wounds to their legs.

●

On June 28, a 45-year-old man was seriously injured after he was mauled by a dog on Unipark Close in Sastri Park in Phoenix. Rusa said the man suffered multiple bite wounds to his body and legs, and a fracture to his left leg.

●

In April, a woman was seriously injured after she was mauled by a pit bull in Seatides in oThongathi (Tongaat). According to Rusa’s incident report, the woman was seriously injured and suffered extensive bite wounds to both her legs. It was established that she was walking home from work when she was attacked. The pedestrian was stabilised at the scene before being taken to hospital by ambulance.

●