OLX has joined forces with Ban Animal Trading (BAT), Beauty Without Cruelty (BWC) and other online classified platforms to launch Operation “Bite Back”, aimed at helping to stamp out puppy mills and the indiscriminate sale of dogs used for illegal dog fighting.
“This is a first for the online industry in that competitive companies have come together in a collaborative effort, prepared to fight for what’s right,” says Sharon Knowles, Head of Operations at OLX.
“The dog fighting syndicates are using increasingly sophisticated tactics to source animals. To help stop them, OLX is taking the lead by banning certain types of ads and will no longer accept ads for pit bulls, staffies and other breeds that dog fighters target. OLX will also no longer allow ‘free to good home’ ads, the sale of puppies younger than eight weeks and the sale of pets by pet stores.”
OLX is South Africa’s fastest growing free online classifieds and has more than one million active ads on the platform at any given time. According to Knowles, 90% of pet ads sent to the site are identified as scams and are rejected and deleted before being posted. “However, we expect that figure to now drop with these new restrictions we have put in place,” she adds.
Dog fighting and puppy mills (or puppy farms as they are sometimes referred to) are big business in South Africa. A puppy mill is a commercial dog breeding facility that is operated with an emphasis on profits above animal welfare
and is often kept in sub-standard, sometimes cruel, conditions.
“In May we deleted 636 adverts from one person who we found out was a puppy mill owner and reported the person immediately,” explains Knowles. “We have been working with CLAW, BAT and BWC who have helped us to get
better understanding in identifying what to look for in the way ads are posted.”
Syndicates use online classified platforms to both find dogs for fighting (especially staffies and pit bulls) and to sell fighting dogs that are no longer any use to them.
Knowles says that dog fighting, an illegal blood sport, willingly places animals in harm’s way for sport. “It is a practice that has grown into a multi-million rand organised crime network in South Africa, involving the wounding and killing of dogs,” she adds. “Not only is it inhumane, dog fighting is a gateway to money laundering, drug trafficking and the perpetration of hard crime.”
She says OLX is pleased to be part of the worthwhile Bite Back project that will allow OLX to prevent further abuse of animals and enable OLX to be part of a bigger community to help stamp out inhumane activities.
“OLX is taking a stand against this practice in the way we can, by joining hands with other industry leaders to prevent the sale of animals into cruelty,” says Knowles. So far, this initiative has the support of BAT, BWC, CLAW, and Boxer Rescue. Together, these organisations hope to stop dog fighting and animal exploitation.”
Dr Smaragda Louw, executive co-ordinator for BWC/BAT in Gauteng, says: “The time has come for the animals. BAT/BWC is excited to partner with OLX whose stand against the indiscriminate breeding and selling of animals, dog fighting and the illegal trade in exotic and indigenous animals, means that they have chosen compassion over financial gain.”
OLX also advises people who cannot afford to keep their animals not to advertise them for free to get rid of them but to instead contact one of the animal rescue organisations that can help rehome the animals.