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Gozo dogs may have been dead before being dumped

Investigations into the death of three Pharaoh hounds found floating off Marsalforn on Tuesday revealed they were not suffocated but had died some five days earlier, the police said ­yesterday.

Sources said this indicated the dogs may have been dead before they were dumped at sea.

The cause of death has still to be established. Veterinary examinations showed no visible injuries on the three dogs and they were well kept before they died.

“The nylon cord found around the neck of each dog was not tight enough to suffocate the animals and it was most probably used as a leash,” the police said as they investigate the case.

On Tuesday at noon the police were informed that a floating body had been sighted at sea. It turned out to be three dogs tied by a nylon cord.

The incident, described as “a savage case of cruelty”, has been strongly condemned by animal welfare organisations.

The discovery came a week after Star, a mixed-breed dog, succumbed to its injuries after being shot in the head with 40 lead pellets, tied and buried alive in a field in Birżebbuġa. That case spurred a national demonstration against animal cruelty.

Investigations into Star’s cruel treatment are still under way, the police said.

In the past three years eight persons have been handed suspended jail terms for animal ­cruelty.

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MARIA SZCZYPINSKA

Jun 24th 2011, 21:47

absolutely...couldn,t agree with u more ....they are such elegant dogs and so good natured and the people of malta should be proud to have the kelb -tal-fenek/pharaoh hound as it,s national dog...the dog is also made for the climate and it is sad to see dogs that should not have been brought into malta as they are not suited to the hot temperatures...

MARIA SZCZYPINSKA

Jun 24th 2011, 21:48

yes marica ...so true

CAROLINE CACHIA

Jun 16th 2011, 20:54

dead ok.....but KILLED not died naturally.....it's OBVIOUS not to find 3 identical dogs died of natural cause !!! .....so died out of suffocating, or died drowned.....THEY HAVE STILL BEEN KILLED..... BY SOME KIND OF BASTARD !!!

Mr mike Knight

Jun 16th 2011, 21:53

i say Pal, if there were already dead then why tied them together and dump them in the blue clear healthy Maltese sea, for who the tourists to take snap shot or what sunshine? besides why in the sea, why not bury them in a field (preferably 6' under) what about the local fish very often advertised in Xlendi as freshly caught local fish then? it doesn't sound good doesn't. Had the animals been in the water for a long time surely they would be blotted ---3 dogs that size tied up together from a distance look like an illegal corpse yes? A mistry for the CID i reckon the best force as it doesn't seem as if the local bobbies have anything to go by as yet, however someone must know the stroy and the tosspot is still roaming the streets either Gozo or Malta or could have emigrated by now rather then taken them to a dog's home. three dead dogs in one go seems a bit to much to swallow, sooner or later we shall be reading more of such stories.

Mr B Busuttil

Jun 16th 2011, 20:55

Amen.

wendy isaac

Jun 16th 2011, 16:00

Yes you have a good point there Mr.Aguis, however i don;t think all the Maltese are that naive , having said this sometimes they are when paying their bills.

wendy isaac

Jun 16th 2011, 16:01

true

Mr martin chetcuti

Jun 16th 2011, 13:40

The recent ECOLI had been contained and enough information was given on how not to get it. It was more a storm in a teacup., pity on how much fresh vegetables have been destroyed for nothing.

Mr david debattista

Jun 16th 2011, 13:58

The Ecoli Disease is just round the corner from were I live. Facts Steve, They are still in the dark !

Deo Catania

Jun 16th 2011, 15:06

Steve, vera qed turina kemm int dog lover. X'ghandha x'taqsam l-ECOLI? bl-istess ragunar bazwi kuljum imutu xeba nies u tfal madwar id-dinja kollha imma mhux il-punt.

CAROLINE CACHIA

Jun 16th 2011, 17:43

Mr. Steve Schembri....

SO???? ...... do people have nore rights than animals to live??? ...both of their lives are of highly importance....they both live once !!

Isabella Peresso Fiorentino

Jun 16th 2011, 21:20

So whats your point Mr Schembri?

Mr Kyle Boffa

Jun 16th 2011, 12:44

yes yes you do that.. spend your holiday in Canada where there are no cases of animal cruelty.. o wait http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/cruelty_database/results.php?ca_state=ALL : 758 cases currently listed in Canada.. ain't such a paradise country after all there either..

and also
"Gozitans and a well known fact amongst us outsiders are so damn tight with money and they just hold on to it, don't like parting even for 1 cent'.. well i can do nothing more except laugh at such a statement.

John Attard

Jun 16th 2011, 13:05

Oh you Broke my heart ms williams:).

Marianne Tabone

Jun 16th 2011, 13:09

Ms. Mortimer, don't you think you are exagerating slightly where Gozitans are concerned? I too like you condemn all acts of violence against any living creature. I have written again and again against this and I have always had dogs that I saved from a sanctuary or from the street. Strays exist in other countries as well by the way and it is an act to be condemned wherever it takes place. But I would hesitate before gathering all the people of Gozo in the same basket. I have Gozitan friends who feel as I do regarding cruelty against animals. You are talking about these people as if they were some primitive tribe who are uncivilised and sadists. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that some people in Canada also commit such crimes - killing of baby seals against which I too protested. But I wouldn't class all Canadians as primitive savages - natives as you call the Gozitans - who commit unspeakable atrocities against helpless creatures such as baby seals!! The act is to be condemned wholeheartedly. If your decision to visit Gozo or not is to be based on this cruel act I think you are a little bit silly not to say anything worse. I am Maltese by the way. But proud to have Gozitan origins as well. If it is to be down with Gozo I would also say Down with Canada as well. Baby seals are vulnerable creatures like dogs if not more so. In Maltese we have an old saying: Everyone who lifts up his arms finds something to smell. So before making such senseless accusations I would think and think twice or even thrice!!

Ms Anna Borg

Jun 16th 2011, 17:06

What a contradicition you state Ms Williams!!! By no means am I trying to justify cruelty to animals which I am 10000% against and whole heartedly condemn, but you trash the Gozitans when in your own country (Canada) tens of thousands of human BABIES are killed yearly through abortion. Isn't that worse than holding on to your money?

Ian Chetcuti

Jun 17th 2011, 05:41

Yes. The annual baby seal massacre is a major tourist attraction in Canada, with millions of animal lovers attending each year!

Giov DeMartino

Jun 16th 2011, 11:29

"Omerta at its best" Suppose the owner of these dogs is identified. So what? Does that mean the HE had killed the dogs?

Victor Rodenas

Jun 16th 2011, 11:50

No,....but if he has nothing to hide why did`nt he say that three of his dogs went missing.He knows that they are his dogs why does`nt he says so?

Mr Saliba Francis

Jun 16th 2011, 12:00

Bloating is not a sign of death due to drowning but of decomposition of the body whatever was the cause of death. Death due to drowning is easily distinguished from disposal of a dead body thrown into the sea
provided the body is not in an advanced state of decomposition.

Marianne Tabone

Jun 16th 2011, 13:18

Mr. Demartino, if the owner did not kill his dogs but they went missing / stolen / lost he should have reported this fact to the police. The fact that he did not, just tells me that he did not care. If they were stolen etc they still belong to him and he should have taken steps to retrieve them if possible. So please don't keep on giving this as an excuse. This is not an excuse at all. If the owner is found he has to answer for the loss of his dogs and asked what steps he took to recover them etc. But let me tell you that if my dog, God forbid, gets lost I would leave no stone unturned to find her. Mine is a simple cross breed that I found outside in the street and whom I adopted when I made sure that no one was going to claim her. She gives me great joy and I gave her a home and all the love she needs and a lot more. So please don't keep on harping about the owners not being responsible!

Charles Sammut

Jun 16th 2011, 14:06

Well my dear Giovanni...if the owner of these dogs had nix to hide, why does'nt he come forward then and tell us what killed his dogs...was it a disease,a virus or his hands?
And YES Omerta is alive and kicking on Calypso island....it would be interesting what the Gozitan men in blue have to say about the ongoing investigations into the matter.

Matthew Dimech

Jun 16th 2011, 15:35

with all due respect, most of you are saying that the owner should have claimed that the dogs are lost, what if he does ... well many people would say that he killed them and that he's not saying the truth, now please be honest with yourselves!!

Jason Borg

Jun 16th 2011, 16:05

Mr. Rodenas - regarding your "omerta at its best" statement,remember that "one has to be in their shoes to condemn".

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110609/local/51-abortions-performed-on-maltese-women-in-the-uk-last-year.369790

Giov DeMartino

Jun 16th 2011, 19:48

Fil-Qorti provi trid. Ma nahsibx li xi hadd hu obligat imur jirraporta li naqaslu kelb.

Mr david debattista

Jun 16th 2011, 11:42

Because Facts are Facts Stephen Sammuth or do you prefer OMERTA . NO WAY ! NEVER .
Get to educate the people, enforce the laws, and let the press do its job, end of story .
You should be more concerned with the abuse going on in all shape and form and nothing is done to stop it . This is what you should be worried about. Then again MR Sammuth if you have done nothing wrong then you have nothing to worry about, but if you have, and think OMERTA will save you......... think again !
WE stick together all of us and fight abuse in all its forms especially OMERTA .

Jon Vercellono

Jun 16th 2011, 12:27

If we don't do negative things, there will not be anything negative to report. Personally, I applaud the newspapers for doing their job - hopefully, negative publicity abroad would be an incentive for the 'powers that be' to prevent these unfortunate things from happening. You cannot brush the brutality executed against Star under the rug and pretend it didn't exist to avoid negative publicity.

John Borg

Jun 16th 2011, 13:10

I think you're missing the point Mr Debattista and I agree with Mr Sammuth. Certainly crime should be punished in Malta as with every other country, but shooting from the hip with press releases to be then corrected later causes us a lot of damage internationally which can not be repaired. If the entire country's image should suffer internationally for the actions of an irresponsible individual is another debateable matter.

Marianne Tabone

Jun 16th 2011, 13:26

The bad publicity comes from the acts themselves not from the media coverage. If the media doesn't cover these acts not even we in Malta get to know about them and the awareness will be less. Much good is done when such things are brought to public attention. It's people in other countries who must be sensible and not attach one act of cruelty or more to the whole Maltese population. I have answered Ms. Mortimer in this same blog and explained what I mean when I say use sense and not make generalised sweeping statements.

K Perry

Jun 16th 2011, 15:12

@Stephen Sammuth : Re bird hunting /netting /desrtuction of protected species.... This hasnt just floated to the surface recently because of this dog stars awful treatment... its been known of for some time and on youtube for a long time.
So you want people to remain silent when these illegal acts happen and shut up and do nothing so that the facts do not reach the outside world? Oh wait a minute isnt that EXACTLY the inertia thats the reason for the above to still be carrying on in Malta???
Hunting with dogs in the UK was banned some years back because of the majority of the public hated it and pressed politicians to sort it out...over to you Stephen.

Ms C. Dimech

Jun 16th 2011, 10:01

Chill woman!!! and read....dogs appeared to be well kept....nylon cord was not tight enough to suffocate... you should use all your pent up energy in fighting for decent legislation with the rest of the pressure groups instead of jumping the gun!!

Ms Sylvia Zammit

Jun 16th 2011, 11:42

Ms. Dimech - I don't know if your comment is directed at me - but I have read - and still say there is something fishy (no pun intended!) going on here....I am NOT pointing any fingers at whoever owned them - BUT does anyone remember the case of the other 3 Tal Fenek dogs found hung in Gozo???? It strikes me as too similar....it's not the first time that somone who has it in for somebody else has taken revenge on his pets (remember the horse/horses burned alive some years ago? What about the 'champion pitbull' that was shot in Cospicua many years ago? The dog was a trained killer, and must have made a tidy sum of money for who owned him, but he also made many enemies - and guess who got it?!!!

Mr Kyle Boffa

Jun 16th 2011, 09:47

dik hi.. a governmental conspiracy so that CNN and BBC back off. u hallina tridx, ahjar nghidu li kulhadd qabez u issa kulhadd ghalaq halqu..

John Attard

Jun 16th 2011, 10:03

Agree with you 100% Mr. Boffa

Deo Catania

Jun 16th 2011, 10:35

Boffa, ghala skond int kulhadd ghalaq halqu? ghidilna kif mietu dawn il-klieb?

Ms C. Dimech

Jun 16th 2011, 11:25

Seriously Deo get a life and stop chasing waterfalls. FIGHT FOR LEGISLATION and stop wasting people's time with your conspiracy theories. Do you know how many people I know who very matter of factly state that their cat had too many kittens and they will therefore drown them??? have YOU never heard this said about kittens and puppies alike? Educate and legislate so that there will no longer be this mentality. After all Sherlock Holmes was a fictional character, we don't need another one

Mr Kyle Boffa

Jun 16th 2011, 11:39

Catania, l-amont ta klieb u qtates li jmutu kuljum.. qtates u klieb bil velenu, sponoz, mormija, merrqin, mtajrin ma nahsibx noqodu namlulhom post mortem kollha.. aparti mard normali li facilment ikunu mietu bih f daqqa.. dal klieb kienu msewijin igifieri ma kinux and xi hadd daqsekk "ahdar".

U ha nghidlek ala kulhadd alaq halqu.. ax meta harget l ahbar kien emmm xi mitejn kumment al kontra tal-axra li aw awnekk..

Mr Kyle Boffa

Jun 16th 2011, 12:35

thumbs up Ms Dimech :)

Neville Zammit

Jun 16th 2011, 13:58

Three dogs dead at the same time....I find this very strange...can anyone perform tests to establish the cause of death of these dogs, or are we afraid that our country will be mentioned on the international media again?

Neville Zammit

Jun 16th 2011, 14:02

Ejja nghidu li dawn il-klieb mietu f'daqqa, kumbinazzjoni!!!!, imma ejja nimmaginaw hekk, since wehn qed niddampjaw dead bodies fil-bajjiet? Nahseb min qed ipacpac fil-vojt hawnhekk jekk ikun qed jghum u jsibhom ma wiccu tghidx kemm jiehu gost!

Deo Catania

Jun 16th 2011, 14:59

Dimech u Boffa, billi qed tillabuha tal-bravi m'inthom se timpressjonaw lil hadd wisq izjed lili. xi skuza qed tipruvaw iggibu? Boffa, int minghalik qed iggib skuza li l-klieb mietu mewta naturali u ntremew il-bahar. Mela l-ewwel nett ma mietu ebda mewta naturali u t-tieni haga kelb mejjet ma tarmix fil-bahar. Skond Dimech ghax hawm min joqtol il-frieh mela kollox ok.

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