Define the various Acts and describe their application. Describe the functions of the applicable role-players.

Veterinary professions Act. 1982 (Act No.19 of 1982)

Basically this is to make sure that the Veterinary Council has power over those who are and are not allowed to practice veterinary professions. This is to both protect the animals treated and the people who are allowed to treat from those who are not qualified and/or registered.

No one working at the wildlife center is allowed to perform functions-on the animals-for which they are not qualified. This means students qualified to feed the animals may only feed the animals. Sieg the head of the conservation department is a qualified veterinary technician which automatically makes him more qualified to perform checks and medicating of the animals. In this way both the vet who helps us with sick animals and the employees of the WLC are protected by the act.

Animal Matters Amendment (Act, No. 42 of 1993)

This act it to protect people who are injured by animals due to the mistreatment of animals by other people.

At the WLC we work with animals on a daily basis. If a person who enters a cage or boma gets injured due to negligence from our side very specifically towards the animal-the rehab will lose its license.

Animals Protection Act (NO. 71 of 1962)

This act is to protect animals from basically animal cruelty. However this is a broad scope, to make it more easily manageable it can be divided into two sections.

Animal rights: The idea is to get across that animals just like humans have rights. For example to right to be free from confinement.

And Animal Welfare: At the same time to give places like the WLC leeway because of the important role they play in animal protection, there is the animal welfare. This in turn says that animals who are in captivity but whose welfare is looked after may be confined for the purpose of the species’ survival (for e.g.)

NEMBA

National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act

This act is all about the management of the biodiversity. Hereby protecting endangered and threatened species and the exploitation of them. It also answers to the questions that arise around the balance between the protection of the species and the sustainable use of them for financial purposes.

To provide for the management and conservation of South Africa’s biodiversity, through the management of the indigenous biological resources and anything that is connected with it.

NEMA

National Environmental Management Act

This act is about guidelines end principles for those who make the decisions about the environment and things that affect the environment in South Africa. It is about the smooth and successful co-ordination of environmental matters and things connected with the environment.

LEMA

Limpopo Environmental Management Act

Is very much the same as the national environmental management act except in this case it is a much smaller scope that is covered and it has more detail into which plants animals and environments are managed.

It will be worth more for the WLC to abate by this act than for e.g. the National act because it is local.

Game Theft Act (No 105 of 1991)

This act states that the animal still belongs you even if it escapes and/or is transported and jumps of the vehicle. That being said the owner must be able to prove ownership and until such time