The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) has launched an investigation to locate the person responsible for yet another act of animal cruelty and then posting the video on social media. This time the victim is a Nile crocodile.
Several disturbing videos emerged on 18 January 2025, showing a man teasing and injuring a wild Nile crocodile. In the videos, the man is beating and kicking the animal on the snout. Later, he uses a slasher to slash at the crocodile, striking him multiple times in the mouth, while several other people are seen stoning the injured and defenceless animal.
Sadly, community members from the village where the incident took place appear to enjoy the behaviour, cheering the man on and stating that the crocodile should be killed.
After being alerted to the videos, NSPCA Inspectors White and Mmoya immediately launched an investigation into this act of cruelty, which allegedly took place in a village called Duthuni in Limpopo. With the assistance of Senior Inspector Khodobo from Louis Trichardt SPCA, they rushed to investigate the incident.
Upon further investigation, it was revealed that the man responsible had added to the crocodile’s pain and suffering by hacking at the animal’s teeth while he was still alive. Nature Conservation authorities later humanely euthanised the animal.
Perhaps most upsetting is that the man showed absolutely no remorse for his actions. In fact, he seemed to enjoy torturing and essentially fatally injuring the crocodile. Following his behaviour, the man mocked the situation, branding himself as the ‘King of Crocodiles’, and even printing T-shirts of him teasing the crocodile. These images and videos have also been widely circulated on social media.
While crocodiles can pose a threat to humans when out of water, they will generally avoid interactions with people. This animal posed no immediate threat to the man and did not deserve such torture. As of 2017, the Nile crocodile is listed as a vulnerable species on the South African National Biodiversity Institute’s (SANBI) Red List. There is absolutely no reason to treat any animal in this way.
The man in the video has been identified and criminal charges under the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962 will be opened against him.
However, this matter is more than a legal one – it is another incident highlighting the increasing popularity of online animal cruelty.
The NSPCA is concerned with the number of acts of cruelty against animals that are being filmed for entertainment and circulated on social media for the enjoyment of others. It is unimaginable that social media users can find animal torture and cruelty entertaining. Animals are sentient beings that, like us, experience positive and negative feelings like happiness, sadness, and pain.
