Johannesburg – Sixteen animals burned to death and 61 were critically injured in veld fires in Thomas River near Stutterheim this week, the Eastern Cape SPCA said on Friday.

The blaze broke out on Thursday afternoon and destroyed grazing on four farms, said Eastern Cape Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals spokesperson Annette Rademeyer.

The size of each farm was believed to be in the region of 3 000ha. “The whole place is devastated and there is absolutely no grazing for 3 000 animals rescued.”

Badly burnt animals had to be killed. Rademeyer appealed to farmers in other provinces to donate food for feed the surviving animals.

In the Free State, Zastron, Petrus Steyn, and Rosendal were also affected by fires. Apparently thousands of hectares of land and grazing were destroyed.

Free State SPCA spokesperson Nazareth Appalsamy said countless animals were affected. A call had been made for donations to help with the relief efforts, he said.

Teams had been sent to assess damage and help animals in the affected areas.

– SAPA