the essential
Placed in police custody on Tuesday October 8 in Toulouse, a veterinarian from Haute-Garonne and an employee of APTA-SPA were presented to the public prosecutor’s office this Wednesday. They must be placed under judicial supervision before their trial in April 2025.
After 24 hours in police custody, the two people suspected of animal abuse at the APTA-SPA shelter in Toulouse were presented to the prosecution this Wednesday. A 59-year-old veterinarian and a 29-year-old employee received a summons for a court appearance next April.
The employee will have to answer for “serious abuse or acts of cruelty towards animals” and “illegal practice of veterinary medicine”. The caregiver is being prosecuted for “complicity in the illegal practice of veterinary medicine”. The Prosecutor’s Office requested the placement under judicial supervision of these two people.
Months of investigation
The investigation began in March when tongues were loosened around serious mistreatment within this shelter. Leading police officers then looked into the matter. Over the weeks, then months, these investigators collected numerous testimonies from both volunteers and employees of the association.
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Suspicions of animal abuse at the SPA-ATPA in Toulouse: a veterinarian and an employee in police custody
A search was also carried out in May, in the presence of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Complaints have been filed by animal protection associations. An open letter will be sent to the Ministries of Justice and the Interior, in particular. Under condition of anonymity, a volunteer speaks of the employee in question: “Without medical authority, he vaccinated with the approval of the veterinarian. She was complicit in that.”
And to continue: “He took the keys to the infirmary and left with his truck all day so that, if there was a problem, we could not treat the animal or transport it. We also found dogs in the cold room A dog was locked in a room for twelve years…”
“Died in atrocious conditions”
In this letter, numerous abuses, lack of care or euthanasia are mentioned. “People, finally heard, now dare to speak and express their anger, it is written. On October 2, 2024, Zino, a 1 and a half year old Malinois who was coming out of mistreatment by a human, died in atrocious conditions within the same of the shelter Not from illness or lack of care like some, but by the hand of the head employee, known for many years to be a notorious mistreater.
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Animal abuse, verbal and physical threats… the tension does not subside at the Atpa-Spa in Toulouse
The letter also denounces financial abuses and ultimately demands from justice a sentence “in keeping with the alleged and proven facts”. The hearing scheduled for April promises to take place under high tension.
