Thieves hijack SPCA ambulance with the cat, dog and field officer inside

NEWS AND COMMENT-KLOOF, SOUTH AFRICA: The Kloof and Highway SPCA provide a comprehensive and useful service to the community in helping to protect against animal cruelty and neglect. They have a Facebook page and on it they've reported a bizarre hijacking.

Kloof and Highway SPCA cat rescue. Photo: Video screenshot.

The team were responding to a call for help at 9 PM as a dog had been hit by car. While they were waiting for the owner of the dog two men approached their ambulance. At gunpoint, they entered the vehicle and drove it off with the field officer, a cat and a dog inside.

The thieves then stopped and let the SPCA officer inside leave the vehicle with the dog and cat. They drove off with a cell phone, cash donations together with the equipment in the vehicle.

Barbara Patrick the manager said that they are devastated but pleased that the animals and the officer were released. They have alerted law enforcement but the vehicle has not been found. Another SPCA ambulance collected the animals and the officers and they have been treated.

Comment: as stated, it's a bizarre crime because what they have stolen is a very specialist vehicle which I guess is of no use to them and neither is the equipment inside unless they are interested in providing an ambulance service for animals! It's unclear what they were trying to steal. It looks a bit harebrained to me and the police will probably find the vehicle abandoned in due course.