TAG ZA 472 188 34 (example)
ANIMAL Bonsmara cow, ±4 yrs
FLAGGED 12 Aug 2026 by the registered owner
CASE 214/8/2026 (example)
Check an animal before you buy it.
Free, for anyone. Send what you can see: the ear tag, the brand mark, or a photo of the nose. MuzzleCheck answers against South Africa's register of animals reported stolen by their owners.
Any tag will work — official ZA tags, farm tags, or the 15-digit electronic tag.
The registered mark burned or tattooed on the animal — usually 3 letters.
Nose matching starts with cattle. For sheep, goats and pigs, the tag or brand will do the work.
Every check is recorded — that protects honest buyers. From 1 September, one SMS code before your first check.
No signal for a website? WhatsApp works on 2G.
The MuzzleCheck WhatsApp line opens on 1 September — send a tag number or a photo, get the same answer. The number is published here on the day.
The MuzzleCheck WhatsApp line opens on 1 September — send a tag number or a photo, get the same answer. The number is published here on the day.
What an answer looks like
Three possible outcomes. Tap each one.
Reported stolen — do not buy
The tag matches an animal reported stolen by its registered owner.
What to do now
Do not complete the sale. Note the seller's details if it is safe to do so, and report
it to the police.
The owner is notified of the check.
Possible match — check further
NOSE PRINT similar to a flagged Bonsmara cow
CONFIDENCE high (photo quality: good)
FLAGGED 12 Aug 2026 by the registered owner
CONFIDENCE high (photo quality: good)
FLAGGED 12 Aug 2026 by the registered owner
The nose print is similar to a flagged animal, but a photo match is never certain on its own.
What to do now
Photograph the ear tag and any brand mark and check those too. If they also match — or the
tags look removed or replaced — involve the police before buying.
The owner is notified of the check.
No match on the register
TAG ZA 902 441 07 (example)
RESULT not on the MuzzleCheck register
RESULT not on the MuzzleCheck register
This does not prove the animal is not stolen. It means no owner has flagged it here. Many stolen animals are not yet on any register.
What to do now
Ask the seller for proof of ownership and a signed removal certificate. When in doubt,
the police can verify a registered brand mark.
How a check works
1
Verify your number
From 1 September, one SMS code, first time only. Every check is recorded: a thief testing whether an animal is flagged leaves a trail; an honest buyer gains proof they checked.
2
Send what you can see
Tag number, brand letters, nose photo: any one works, more is stronger. Thieves cut out ear tags; nobody can cut out a nose print.
3
Get the answer in seconds
If it's flagged, you get the police case number and the next step, and the owner is told where their animal was just seen.
Farmers: get on the register before you need it.
Do you want to become part of MuzzleCheck — or add your herd to its database?
MuzzleCheck is fed by contributing livestock platforms. The first is KraalBook, the livestock record app (free to start). Your animals and their nose prints stay private on your farm's own records; only if you report one stolen does it enter the public register. That means a stolen animal's tag, brand and nose print become checkable by every buyer, agent and police officer in the country.
Get your herd on KraalBook Only the registered owner can flag an animal. Your name, phone number and farm are never shown to anyone who checks.Wrongly flagged? Dispute or query it.
A register that can accuse must also be able to listen. Any flag can be disputed — by a seller whose animal is wrongly flagged, an owner querying a sighting, or anyone who believes the register has it wrong. Every dispute is recorded, the flag shows it is under dispute while it is reviewed, and the outcome is kept on record.
Write to hello@muzzlecheck.org with the tag number or brand mark. From 1 September every answer screen carries a "dispute / query this result" button that does the same thing in one tap.
Straight talk: MuzzleCheck is a register, not a verdict, and not a law-enforcement service. A match means "reported stolen by the owner"; what happens next is between you, the seller and the police. No match means "not on this register", nothing more. The register is only as strong as the farmers on it.