This site is currently assisting in the story of animal neglect and abuse, which was reported by Newsbook on 4th November of last year.
The case concerned two Persian cats, a number of freshwater turtles, a rooster, and a myna. This site has been informed that the bird is not actually a myna but an exotic bird known as ‘Blue-Eared Starling’, which is not registered, and the activists involved are checking with ERA regarding its registration.
This site has been informed that the person who was keeping all those animals, together with another pug and another yellow parrot, was living on the street for a few months. Her former abode, which consists of two rooms and a roof, in which the animals were being hoarded, was not being lived in due to the fact that electricity and water were not being supplied due to an overdue bill that the pet owner failed to pay. Neighbors close by were also helping this woman with some favors and help, which she asked for. One of those neighbors is the person to whom the animals were given. Together with the above animals, the owner was also keeping two more dogs, one who perished during the heatwave of July and another who perished a few days before due to illness. A report, which this site also possesses, had been done to Animal Welfare on 30th June by a neighbor who not only had seen the dog in a very bad shape, with the owner refusing to take it to the vet because she did not want to spend money but also because the owner had told her that she is keeping two cats which are full of knots, and which she is not feeding in the evening due to lack of electricity.
This site was informed that Animal Welfare told the activists later that they had been to the place, but since no one opened for the officers, the latter left. If this is true or not, we do not know. And yet, if they truly went, why wasn’t the report followed up? Why did they leave these poor animals there for more months?
Further to the information that Newsbook has given in their article, this site can add that the cats were being kept in a small bathroom full of dead cockroaches, a basin with grey, hard litter that had not been changed for months, with no presence of food and water. There was no window or air circulating, so one can imagine what they went through during the summer months. The rooster had no food and water, could hardly move and worms surrounded the cage. The bird was in a cage full of guano with no food and water. The room had around 200 live cockroaches spread on the wall and the floor. A report to the environment directorate was also done.
The animals’ keeper asked the neighbor to help her with these pets and to take them since she cannot take care of them anymore with the exception of the pug and the yellow parrot. This neighbor who had been helping her throughout, had also called the housing department to assist the homeless woman, who was later given a home. This site has both addresses.
Now this site has been informed that the cats were found to be sick, and are on medication. One of them has liver failure. This site has also the vet report. The bird also had an eye infection and was not being fed a proper diet.
All the persons involved in helping this woman, with activists stepping in to help relocating the animals, as was requested by their said owner, are now being harassed and dragged to police stations, by their said owner who is falsely claiming that the woman has broken into her former two-room abode without her consent and stole her animals. In the meantime, the said owner admitted with the police that she willingly gave them away, which means that her claims and report are false. Moreover, witnesses can vouch that she was present when the pets which she gave away were being taken out, in broad daylight after asking for her cats to be fed with a small piece of ham immersed in a bowl with water which the woman who was helping her was asked to get for her! This site has all the photos of the state of the said animals and all the necessary reports.
A local sanctuary who stepped in to take care and medicate the cats, has been sent a letter from a lawyer. So did the woman who helped her before the activists stepped in. And yet, nothing is being done and all this unnecessary hassle on people who tried to help, is continuing.
This site has been informed that all those involved are ready to stand up to be counted.
This is clearly another case where the animal welfare directorate failed to step in itself and not only give a better life to these neglected animals, but also avoid these kind-hearted citizens from going through all this hassle. It is clearly another sign that something is not adding up in this directorate and that it is not functioning as it should be, for the welfare of animals as it claims to be. Why is AW refusing to get involved in this case, when this site was informed that AW is trying to be contacted for assistance? Does it understand that this is another case which shows the directorate’s shortcomings and which does not augur well for it, if this case is taken forward legally? Why doesn’t it step in to inform the said owner that she should be grateful for being helped [as filed reports show] instead of being investigated for animal neglect and abuse? Or is it then true that AW sides with animal abusers?