Carcasses, excrement, emaciated animals: dozens of dogs were rescued on Monday from a breeding farm in Hungary, a case considered unprecedented by NGO activists present on site.
«I have never seen such atrocious conditions,” Richard Kapin, head of the Fans for Animals association, told AFP. “These animals were exploited solely for breeding purposes and the money from the sale of the puppies was never reinvested to improve their welfare.”
AFP
It was in an apparently opulent property in the village of Koszegpaty, near the border with Austria, that the animals were crowded together, locked in cages and “bathing” in dirt, according to the account of NGOs including one ten participated in the operation.
Police raided the premises last week, as well as another site 50km away, both owned by an Austrian woman. Targeted by an investigation for “cruelty towards animals”, she is the subject of an arrest warrant.
AFP
In total, more than 100 dogs were saved and will be taken to shelters, after examination by veterinarians. Sheep, horses and poultry were also discovered.
“The animals did not even benefit from minimal living conditions – drinking water and food,” local authorities explained in a press release, also reporting the discovery of numerous “charred carcasses”.
AFP
Kinga Schneider, spokesperson for the Noah Animal Shelter Foundation, described “a terrible stench, scared dogs, filth and feces everywhere,” even in their fur.
AFP
Many pet farms exist in the central and eastern European countries that joined the European Union from 2004, where health standards are less strict and costs lower than in the rest of Europe.
AFP
Associations have been denouncing for years international trafficking of puppies with illegal kennels, these animals being destined for export to Western Europe, where they are sold secretly.
