Principle Statement on Animal Rights and Welfare in South Africa
(A Neutral, Collective Call for Humane Stewardship)
PREAMBLE
Animals, as sentient beings, have intrinsic value and deserve to live free from unnecessary suffering, exploitation, and neglect. In South Africa, dogs and other companion animals continue to experience widespread harm due to breeding, irresponsible ownership, neglect, abandonment, outdated laws, and inadequate enforcement of existing laws.
While many organisations, individuals, and government bodies dedicate their efforts to animal welfare, fragmentation, competing interests, and resource-driven priorities often overshadow the shared mission to protect animals. This statement seeks to unite all stakeholders—organisations, communities, authorities, and citizens—around a common foundation of principles that place the welfare of animals above all else, ensuring consistent, ethical, and sustainable standards of care.
FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES
Recognition of Animal Sentience
Animals are living beings capable of experiencing pain, distress, joy, and companionship.
Society holds a moral and ethical duty to protect them from cruelty and neglect, beyond their economic or functional value.
Right to Basic Needs and Humane Treatment
(Derived from the internationally recognised Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare)
Every animal is entitled to:
Freedom from hunger and thirst: Access to clean water and adequate (species-appropriate) nutrition.
Freedom from discomfort: Appropriate shelter, temperature control, and living conditions.
Freedom from pain, injury, and disease: Preventive healthcare and timely medical care to prevent suffering.
Freedom to express natural behaviour: Space, companionship, and enrichment consistent with their species and nature.
Freedom from fear and distress: Protection from abuse, harmful handling, and abandonment.
Responsible Ownership
Owning an animal is a lifelong legal and moral commitment. It requires education, planning, and the ability to provide safety, health care, and daily needs without neglect or abandonment.
We only support the use of humane, science-based positive reinforcement techniques for training and handling animals, and reject the use of fear, intimidation, or punishment.
Breeding of Animals Must Be:
Licensed and traceable, subject to strict welfare standards.
Non-exploitative, avoiding overbreeding, inbreeding, and profit-driven neglect.
Focusing on improving the breed's health.
Sterilisation-first approach in communities where overpopulation causes widespread suffering.
No breeding can be considered responsible when thousands of healthy animals need to be euthanised daily due to the lack of homes.
No Wild, Exotic, or Invasive Species Should Be Kept as Pets
Wild, exotic, and invasive animals belong in their natural habitats — not in private homes where their welfare and safety are compromised.
Keeping such species as pets fuels illegal trade, endangers biodiversity, and poses risks to public health and safety.
Birds were made to fly — keeping them in cages deprives them of their most natural behaviour and causes lifelong suffering.
Use of Animals for Entertainment
Animals exist for their own purposes, not for human amusement or profit.
We do not support the use of animals for entertainment — including but not limited to displays, performances, sports, zoos, circuses, aquariums, petting farms, sanctuaries that allow public interaction with wild animals, or animal rides.
Respect for animals requires that their welfare, autonomy, and natural behaviours are prioritised over human recreation or gain.
Live Export of Animals
The APF strongly opposes the live export of animals by sea and calls on the government to issue a complete ban.
Long-distance sea transport causes extreme stress, injuries, and suffering, often leading to illness or death before animals even reach their destination.
Legal Enforcement and Accountability
Existing laws, such as the Animal Protection Act (No. 71 of 1962), mandate humane treatment of animals but are outdated and poorly enforced.
Authorities, communities, and civil groups must cooperate to ensure enforcement against neglect, cruelty, and uncontrolled breeding.
Financial exploitation of animals, including untaxed and uncontrolled sales, must be treated as both a welfare and economic crime.
Education and Community Empowerment
True progress lies in preventing harm before it occurs, through:
Education on responsible ownership.
Affordable and accessible sterilisation and veterinary services.
Community-driven programmes in neighbourhoods where poverty-driven neglect is most severe.
Transparency and Collaboration
Animal welfare efforts must not be driven by competition, profit motives, or political control.
All stakeholders, including NGOs, authorities, veterinary professionals, any animal professionals, and citizens, should collaborate openly, share information, and pool resources, recognising that animal suffering cannot be solved in silos.
CALL TO ACTION – We, the people, as concerned citizens and organisations, call for:
Unified National Standards on animal welfare, applicable to all breeders, owners, sellers, and municipalities.
Zero tolerance for cruelty and neglect, with public and private support for swift investigations and prosecutions.
National registry and licensing of all breeders and animal sellers, closing loopholes for unregulated breeding and sales.
Mandatory sterilisation for pet owners.
Multi-agency task forces, combining animal protection organisations, the SPCA, municipal officials, SAPS, and SARS, to disrupt the financial and criminal networks behind animal exploitation.
A cultural shift in public opinion, treating animals as sentient beings, not disposable commodities.
Vision
The true measure of a humane society is how it treats those who cannot defend themselves. Dogs, cats, and other animals in South Africa deserve compassion, dignity, and protection from systemic harm. This principle statement is not aligned to any organisation, political entity, or commercial interest—it is a neutral invitation to unite around what should be obvious: Animal welfare is neither a luxury nor a business; it is a moral duty.
Open Dialogue
This statement seeks to spark feedback, debate, and collaboration, stripping away power struggles and competition for funding. It aims to create a shared foundation upon which:
Governments can legislate effectively.
Authorities can act decisively.
NGOs can work together.
Citizens can take personal responsibility.
All stakeholders can be held accountable for their actions and commitments.
Until every animal is safe from cruelty, neglect, and exploitation, the work of animal welfare in South Africa remains unfinished.
(A Neutral, Collective Call for Humane Stewardship)
PREAMBLE
Animals, as sentient beings, have intrinsic value and deserve to live free from unnecessary suffering, exploitation, and neglect. In South Africa, dogs and other companion animals continue to experience widespread harm due to breeding, irresponsible ownership, neglect, abandonment, outdated laws, and inadequate enforcement of existing laws.
While many organisations, individuals, and government bodies dedicate their efforts to animal welfare, fragmentation, competing interests, and resource-driven priorities often overshadow the shared mission to protect animals. This statement seeks to unite all stakeholders—organisations, communities, authorities, and citizens—around a common foundation of principles that place the welfare of animals above all else, ensuring consistent, ethical, and sustainable standards of care.
FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES
Recognition of Animal Sentience
Animals are living beings capable of experiencing pain, distress, joy, and companionship.
Society holds a moral and ethical duty to protect them from cruelty and neglect, beyond their economic or functional value.
Right to Basic Needs and Humane Treatment
(Derived from the internationally recognised Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare)
Every animal is entitled to:
Freedom from hunger and thirst: Access to clean water and adequate (species-appropriate) nutrition.
Freedom from discomfort: Appropriate shelter, temperature control, and living conditions.
Freedom from pain, injury, and disease: Preventive healthcare and timely medical care to prevent suffering.
Freedom to express natural behaviour: Space, companionship, and enrichment consistent with their species and nature.
Freedom from fear and distress: Protection from abuse, harmful handling, and abandonment.
Responsible Ownership
Owning an animal is a lifelong legal and moral commitment. It requires education, planning, and the ability to provide safety, health care, and daily needs without neglect or abandonment.
We only support the use of humane, science-based positive reinforcement techniques for training and handling animals, and reject the use of fear, intimidation, or punishment.
Breeding of Animals Must Be:
Licensed and traceable, subject to strict welfare standards.
Non-exploitative, avoiding overbreeding, inbreeding, and profit-driven neglect.
Focusing on improving the breed's health.
Sterilisation-first approach in communities where overpopulation causes widespread suffering.
No breeding can be considered responsible when thousands of healthy animals need to be euthanised daily due to the lack of homes.
No Wild, Exotic, or Invasive Species Should Be Kept as Pets
Wild, exotic, and invasive animals belong in their natural habitats — not in private homes where their welfare and safety are compromised.
Keeping such species as pets fuels illegal trade, endangers biodiversity, and poses risks to public health and safety.
Birds were made to fly — keeping them in cages deprives them of their most natural behaviour and causes lifelong suffering.
Use of Animals for Entertainment
Animals exist for their own purposes, not for human amusement or profit.
We do not support the use of animals for entertainment — including but not limited to displays, performances, sports, zoos, circuses, aquariums, petting farms, sanctuaries that allow public interaction with wild animals, or animal rides.
Respect for animals requires that their welfare, autonomy, and natural behaviours are prioritised over human recreation or gain.
Live Export of Animals
The APF strongly opposes the live export of animals by sea and calls on the government to issue a complete ban.
Long-distance sea transport causes extreme stress, injuries, and suffering, often leading to illness or death before animals even reach their destination.
Legal Enforcement and Accountability
Existing laws, such as the Animal Protection Act (No. 71 of 1962), mandate humane treatment of animals but are outdated and poorly enforced.
Authorities, communities, and civil groups must cooperate to ensure enforcement against neglect, cruelty, and uncontrolled breeding.
Financial exploitation of animals, including untaxed and uncontrolled sales, must be treated as both a welfare and economic crime.
Education and Community Empowerment
True progress lies in preventing harm before it occurs, through:
Education on responsible ownership.
Affordable and accessible sterilisation and veterinary services.
Community-driven programmes in neighbourhoods where poverty-driven neglect is most severe.
Transparency and Collaboration
Animal welfare efforts must not be driven by competition, profit motives, or political control.
All stakeholders, including NGOs, authorities, veterinary professionals, any animal professionals, and citizens, should collaborate openly, share information, and pool resources, recognising that animal suffering cannot be solved in silos.
CALL TO ACTION – We, the people, as concerned citizens and organisations, call for:
Unified National Standards on animal welfare, applicable to all breeders, owners, sellers, and municipalities.
Zero tolerance for cruelty and neglect, with public and private support for swift investigations and prosecutions.
National registry and licensing of all breeders and animal sellers, closing loopholes for unregulated breeding and sales.
Mandatory sterilisation for pet owners.
Multi-agency task forces, combining animal protection organisations, the SPCA, municipal officials, SAPS, and SARS, to disrupt the financial and criminal networks behind animal exploitation.
A cultural shift in public opinion, treating animals as sentient beings, not disposable commodities.
Vision
The true measure of a humane society is how it treats those who cannot defend themselves. Dogs, cats, and other animals in South Africa deserve compassion, dignity, and protection from systemic harm. This principle statement is not aligned to any organisation, political entity, or commercial interest—it is a neutral invitation to unite around what should be obvious: Animal welfare is neither a luxury nor a business; it is a moral duty.
Open Dialogue
This statement seeks to spark feedback, debate, and collaboration, stripping away power struggles and competition for funding. It aims to create a shared foundation upon which:
Governments can legislate effectively.
Authorities can act decisively.
NGOs can work together.
Citizens can take personal responsibility.
All stakeholders can be held accountable for their actions and commitments.
Until every animal is safe from cruelty, neglect, and exploitation, the work of animal welfare in South Africa remains unfinished.
Disclaimers
The following disclaimers apply to all use of this site:
- By engaging with this website or becoming a signatory, you acknowledge that such participation does not constitute endorsement of any individual, organisation, or professional, nor does it imply endorsement of you by us.
- We are not veterinary professionals or certified animal behaviourists. Information shared on this platform is provided in good faith, often with permission from qualified professionals, but it is not a substitute for professional veterinary or behavioural advice.
- We are not authorised animal inspectors and do not investigate or prosecute cruelty complaints directly. We can, however, refer matters to the appropriate channels and guide reporting in line with the principles of South African law.
- All content is provided “as is” for educational and advocacy purposes. We make no guarantees as to completeness, accuracy, or outcomes of any action taken based on information provided here.
- Users remain responsible for their own actions, decisions, and compliance with applicable laws when using this site or acting on its content.