A dog went on the rampage, killing three pigs, injuring another two and biting two residents at Madombidzha Zone One.

The terrifying incident took place in the late hours of Sunday, in the evening of Monday and on Tuesday morning.

Mr Reuben Nwanamidwa is the one most affected after losing four pigs, with more were injured. According to Nwanamidwa, his daughter Sharon found three pigs lying dead in the yard, with gruesome injuries to their faces, on Monday morning. “Another pig was in the shelter, severely bitten in the face and with both eyes gouged out,” she said. “It is still alive and in great pain.”

Sharon explained that during the evening she had heard noises made by dogs and pigs. She came out to investigate and found the dog from her neighbour biting their big, white pig on the face and neck.“I picked up a stone and threw it at the crazy dog, and she ran away,” she said. However, the white pig had since disappeared from home, following the attack.

As if that was not enough, Sharon's nine-year-old nephew, Moeketsi, was returning from a spaza shop at around 05:55 when the dog appeared and jumped at his face. Luckily, Moeketsi noticed the dog's moves and shielded his face with his hand while he ducked to the other side. It pinned its fang in his wrist.

“The boy was immediately rushed to the clinic, where he was treated and placed on a rabies vaccine programme,” said Nwanamidwa. “I am not worried about my killed pigs; I am totally concerned about the children's safety here at home. We have seen this dog bite more dogs around here, and we fear that all these dogs will be going crazy and killing our children and grandchildren soon.”

Nwanamidwa contacted the Tshilwavhuku police to come and put down the dog. “They came but refused to kill it, saying that they didn't just shoot animals,” said Nwanamidwa.

When Limpopo Mirror visited the dog's owner, Mr Gilbert Ratombo, at his home, the dog was seen tied to a tree with a steel wire. In the company of its three puppies, she kept chewing the iron frame and wire viciously, glaring at everyone in sight with her vicious eyes.

“I am surprised by this dog's strange behaviour,” said Ratombo. “Some time ago, a dog behaving strangely came from my neighbour and attacked my dog. But now that dog is said to have foamed at the mouth and died.”

Samson Ratombo is the one who tied the dog to the tree. “It bit me in the hand; it's a small issue,” he said when his brother, Gilbert, and Nwanamidwa coerced him to go to the local clinic.

On 17 January 2012, there was a similar incident in the same part of Madombidzha, when residents woke up to find their dogs lying dead with severed and injured torsos and amputed heads.

Meanwhile, the Makhado office of the State Veterinary Services was not in a position to provide the newspaper with comment at the time of our going to press.