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Strangers Buried Her Alive And Got What They Deserved

By: Scott H

Scott H

Scott Haiduc is the Director of Publishing for iHeartDogs, iHeartCats and The Hero Company. When not working, Scott spends his time on the farm, taking care of his animals and crops.Read more
| February 27, 2014
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Meet Lily, a rescue dog who’s story of survival will leave you captivated and motivated to take action!

Lily was born in South Africa, left to raise herself and survive on her own in the streets. She often trotted around villages and school yards, rummaging for scraps and trash just to stay alive. Nearby locals looked down on her, and considered her survival tactics annoying and bothersome. One afternoon, after she had been looking for food near a school yard, the headmaster saw her, and commanded two janitors to bury her alive.

In one of the worst ever reported cases of animal abuse in Cape Town a dog was rescued after being buried alive in a pit at a Khayelitsha School. Veterinarian Dr Edson Man'Ombe and animal welfare carer Lazola Sotyingwa, rushed to the school and apprehended two janitors on the school field. The men initially claimed the dog was dead, but on further questioning admitted the animal was still alive when they buried i; they said one of the school's senior supervisors had told them to get rid of the dog as it was causing a nuisance by hanging around classrooms. Man'Ombe and Sotyingwa instructed the men to open the pit, and the dog, a female Dalmatian cross breed, was found barely alive at the bottom of a hole between 1 and 1.5 meters deep. She was rushed to the Mdzananda Animal Clinic and is recovering in the care of professional veterinarians. The dog is also partially disabled, probably as a result of earlier injuries from a motor vehicle accident. The Mdzananda Animal Clinic was founded in 1996. It provides the only permanent, on site animal welfare support to Khayelitsha outside Cape Town, and provides primary veterinary healthcare to dogs and cats in the community.

Lucky for Lily, some loving individuals from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) had been anonymously notified about the burial, and immediately went to rescue her. They found Lily 30 minutes later in a 5 foot deep pit, covered with dirt, barely able to breathe. That was when they named her Lily, their term of endearment for “Warrior”.

In one of the worst ever reported cases of animal abuse in Cape Town a dog was rescued after being buried alive in a pit at a Khayelitsha School. Veterinarian Dr Edson Man'Ombe and animal welfare carer Lazola Sotyingwa, rushed to the school and apprehended two janitors on the school field. The men initially claimed the dog was dead, but on further questioning admitted the animal was still alive when they buried i; they said one of the school's senior supervisors had told them to get rid of the dog as it was causing a nuisance by hanging around classrooms. Man'Ombe and Sotyingwa instructed the men to open the pit, and the dog, a female Dalmatian cross breed, was found barely alive at the bottom of a hole between 1 and 1.5 meters deep. She was rushed to the Mdzananda Animal Clinic and is recovering in the care of professional veterinarians. The dog is also partially disabled, probably as a result of earlier injuries from a motor vehicle accident. The Mdzananda Animal Clinic was founded in 1996. It provides the only permanent, on site animal welfare support to Khayelitsha outside Cape Town, and provides primary veterinary healthcare to dogs and cats in the community.

Lily’s story swept the nation, and shed light on the fact that more animal welfare programs were needed in South Africa. It wasn’t long after that a humane education program began at the very school where Lily had been abducted. The Cape Town court also charged the headmaster and janitors with animal abuse fines, along with criminal sentences.

Lily’s legacy lives on till this day through IFAW’s blanket drive which helps provide hand-sewn blankets to dogs living animal shelters! Each blanket is constructed of individual fabric squares that each have a personal message written on it!

quilt

The good news doesn’t end there though. Shortly after Lily’s story hit the news, an animal rights journalist adopted her into her forever family. A true happily ever after!

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Lilly

H/T: One Green Planet 

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