Whenever Angi Smit isn’t busy screening people or trying to catch out liars, she’s saving animals and caring for them on her plot of land just outside Delmas, east of Johannesburg.
For the past six years, Smit, 40, has been taking in anything from dogs and cats to farm animals such as goats and pigs. This has forced her to move to four different properties over the years as her rescue operation has grown to include nearly 100 animals.
Smit, who works as a polygraph tester, said most of her income went into her property and the care of the animals.
“I’m way over my capacity, way, way over … but it is difficult to say no,” she said, adding that her father, Rob, and some of her close friends were her biggest supporters.
“Some donate monthly, others donate whenever they can. But most of the costs are covered from my pocket,” she said.
Smit, who was born in Pretoria, said she could remember her father taking her to a petting farm in Irene, Pretoria, as a child and that was where her love of animals was formed, especially her love of pigs. She has 16 pigs on her plot and despite them all being rescue animals she has no intention of rehoming them, simply because “it’s too difficult to find a suitable home for pigs”.
Smit, who studied psychology at North-West University in Potchefstroom, never practised as a psychologist and instead tried her hand at medical supply sales and the motor industry before she came across her passion – polygraph testing.
“In 2007, with the help of friends and family, I managed to get my accreditation done and buy a polygraph testing machine. I really love my job and I love my passion.”
She’s worked on some big cases and was once poisoned because of the work she was doing. “I can’t really speak about the specifics, but I was poisoned and became very ill. That was a low point in my life and a big challenge to overcome.”
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Smit’s passion for polygraph testing is what has enabled her to focus on her other passion – rescuing animals.
She never set out to start an animal rescue shelter, but as the number of animals grew and city by-laws became more restrictive, she had to move to the plot just outside Delmas, where she and her family of dogs, cats, pigs, goats, ferrets and other animals now live.
She said she realised a couple of years ago, when she was loading an abused donkey into her tiny Ford Fiesta to take to her plot, that she was just too deep in to quit.
“I’ve tried to walk away from this many times … but when it’s in your blood, it’s in your blood.”
Smit said it was increasingly difficult to run her operation because animal feed, veterinary costs, and shelter and fencing were incredibly expensive when they all came from your own pocket.
“During the dry season now I’ve had to beg people for help with food. I would drive around and see farmers busy making bales of hay and stop and walk through the field and go and beg them for one or two bales. Even just one here or there makes a big difference.”
Smit said she’d learnt as she’d gone along. “It’s nothing fancy, but it’s a safe haven for these animals … I think one of my biggest challenges is finding staff that are loyal to the animals. One little mistake like leaving a gate open can cost a life,” she said.
“I’m lucky in that I’ve never had any major losses like you can have with a place like this.” She had lost a few chickens due to new cats and dogs she had brought in, but the fences were made higher after that lesson.
For Smit, the veterinary costs to sterilise the animals are one of her biggest challenges. She said it would make her life much easier if she could do some of the basic procedures herself.
Tayla Spencer, who works at the Rietkol veterinary clinic and has worked with Smit for the past few years, said the practice could rely on Smit helping out when needed.
“I personally think she’s great. There are not a lot of people with a heart like hers. We can phone her at any time and say there’s a dog there or a donkey there and she would go and rescue them.”
Spencer said Smit’s commitment to animals was admirable. “Angi always finds those animals and you know they will always be in good hands on her plot. She’s got an absolute love for those animals.”
Angi Smit needs animal feed, especially dog and cat food, as well as grass bales. Good, proper shelter and fencing woul help. Assistance with veterinarian procedures such as sterilisation would be greatly appreciated.
Angi Smit can be reached on 082-820-3839
