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Confessions: Documentary sheds light on penguin killing  

By Lew Elias

EAST LONDON -- A 16-year-old girl last night confessed on national television to killing one of the pelicans at the aquarium here.

Police investigations into the slaughter of nine penguins, two gannets and two pelicans in May have been bogged down as one person pleaded guilty to the crime, while others who were named have not been charged, the SABC actuality programme Special Assignment indicated last night.

The entire programme was devoted to the senseless killings and the stalled police investigation surrounding the slaughter of the birds.

The girl, identified on the programme as "Meraai or Francina," said that she and four other people had killed the birds.

She said someone in the group, a "Stanley", had made her "wring the pelican's neck".

"He was holding it by the wings and said I had to wring its neck or there would be trouble, so I did it."

Former national SPCA chairperson Marie Eekhout said she had never seen "such senseless cruelty".

"There were fingermarks on the pelican's neck where it was held very tightly while someone hit it with something heavy."

"Meraai" pleaded guilty to contravening the Animal Cruelty Act during an in-camera trial-hearing. She is due to appear in court here again next Thursday.

The girl's mother, Elmarie Minnie, said she couldn't believe her daughter was capable of doing what she did, as she was an animal lover.

A drawing of a dolphin in a scrapbook was shown on camera and her mother read a piece indicating that the girl's favourite animals were "cats, snakes, dolphins, dogs and cheetahs."

According to the programme, two men known as the "Nel" brothers, were also implicated but had apparently moved out of the house which they had been renting.

Another person Meraai claimed was with the group on the night in question has appeared in court in connection with the case.

But he claimed on camera that he was innocent and later, when he and Meraai met, she said that was not the person who was with the group at the aquarium that night.

Also interviewed was a former barmaid at a West Bank hotel, Tanya Fisher, who said she was in the bar on the night that the Nel brothers came in and collected Meraai and her friend, who were playing pool at the hotel.

"They came back later and there was blood all over their clothes and I asked them who they had beaten up.

"They said 'no one' and I asked them about the blood and one of them told me they had been killing birds.

The programme offered satanism as one possible reason for the slaughter.

Aquarium curator Willie Maritz said that he would like to see the culprits "wearing T-shirts saying 'I did it' or serving at least six months community service at the aquarium cleaning out the pools".

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