The SACPA animal pound in Perpignan is due to appear in court for mistreatment of animals

In 2023, the local associations Un Gîte Une Gamelle (A Shelter A Bowl) and the S.P.A. (Society for the Protection of Animals) of the Pyrénées-Orientales region took legal action after receiving a disturbing report from an employee of the animal pound in Perpignan. Due to a lack of sufficiently frequent visits by a veterinarian to the site, some dogs suffering from diarrhoea, purulent conjunctivitis or even a leg injury were left to fend for themselves for days without receiving any care. Not stopping there in terms of mistreatment and illegality, the manager of the facility vaccinated and ‘euthanised’ several cats, dogs and kittens himself, even though these procedures must be carried out by a vet. One dares not imagine the fear and suffering of these animals, sick, neglected and killed in their kennels…

The true face of animal pounds

Since 2022 and our investigation into the SIVU animal pound in Lot-et-Garonne, we have relentlessly denounced the hell that awaits animals behind the doors of these establishments. Lack of care and hygiene, mass killings, sometimes without justification or veterinary supervision… In Ranguevaux, Passerelles Vers l’Emploi and SACPA in Vaux-le-Pénil, the negligence and abuse we have documented are shocking, whatever the accused establishments may say. And this nightmare is far from being confined to a few shady places. Even in those that are in compliance, dogs and cats picked up off the streets find only rows of tiny concrete boxes smeared with excrement, filled with anxious barking and meowing… and not a single gesture of affection to reassure them. After eight days, if no one has inquired about them and they have not found a place in the overflowing shelters, they are killed without hesitation before being sent for quartering.

The State at fault

Every year, thousands of dogs and cats are killed in this way, to the complete indifference of our leaders. Not content with looking the other way, they continue to fuel this slaughter by authorising puppy shows, online classified ads and even click & collect in pet shops which should have stopped selling cats and dogs since January 2024. As long as our companions are treated as mere consumer goods, impulse purchases and the resulting abandonment will continue, and with them the vicious cycle of stray animals and mass slaughter. It is time for the State to take its responsibilities!

On 17 December, we expect the court to hand down a sentence commensurate with the acts of mistreatment committed by the manager of the Perpignan pound. Sign our petitions to call for an end to the code of silence and killings in pounds and for a national plan to combat straying of cats.