The total animals killed was 80. The legal division of the island's Housing Department is investigating the incident to determine whether to press charges under the local Animal Protection Act of 2004. The private contractor, in the meantime, denies that the animals found under the bridge are the ones they confiscated. He says he has the bodies of the euthanized animals in his facility in San Juan. But many people are definitely not buying it. The following quote from a ten year-old girl broke my heart:
“Yo vi a los gatos míos en la jaula que los metieron. Y después los vi en la televisión, después que los tiraron por el puente. Me los mataron y yo los vi, eran los míos”
Thalía Pérez
residente de 10 años
Translated as: "I saw my cats in the cage they put them. And then I saw them on the television, after they were thrown off the bridge. They killed them and I saw them, they were mine."
It's a freaking mess. And why did this happen? It is one of those unfortunate cases where a moron lets power go to his head. On October 1st, the management of the public housing projects passed from the state government to the municipal government as part of a pilot program. I guess the town mayor decided he did not want pesky animals in the projects under his rule, even though neither state nor federal laws prohibit residents from owning pets.
The mayor is trying to separate himself from the actions of the private contractor, and threatening to sue them because the incident is ruining the public image of his municipality, but he should not be let off the hook. If he had not tried to unilaterally obliterate the residents' right to have pets, none of this would have happened. If the local government officials and the private contractors had not coerced the residents into handing over their pets by threatening them with eviction, none of this would have happened.
CNN -http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/10/12/puerto.rico.pet.massacre.ap/
BCC- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7042792.stm
I've never understood how people who can do that sort of thing to animals can claim to have any compassion towards human beings.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Los. If someone has such a cruel streak towards animals, they probably aren't that compassionate towards humans either.
ReplyDeleteThat is HORRIBLE. I am sick to my stomach.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's pretty bad. The Puerto Rico Tourism Company is very concerned about this incident affecting tourism. People are doing demonstrations outside City Hall in the town of Brceloneta, where everything happened. Animal welfare groups are talking about helping the housing project residents in a lawsuit against the municipal government. We'll see what happens.
ReplyDeleteHow awful. I feel so bad for that little girl and for her poor cats. You are so right - it is also an abuse of the poor. Sometimes I wonder what kind of a world we live in.
ReplyDelete