Killing in pounds: the SACPA group tries to divert attention

The aim of this investigation is to raise awareness among the entire population, both in the public arena and among our leaders. They need to understand that the situation will not change until real measures are taken: an urgent national plan for neutering cats; a ban on rehoming online by individuals; the strict application of the existing requirement for animal identification; the end of puppy parlours and other events promoting impulsive sales; severe criminal penalties for abandonment and acts of abuse.

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“[...] ethical animal pounds” (sic)... Oh really?

Trying to justify killings by highlighting the animals who got out of this prison alive, all while implying that those who were slaughtered were “lucky” to still be alive after the legal deadline of eight days, does not in any way resolve that which we are condemning.

Is it really possible to be happy knowing that Cayenne, the Malinois whose killing we filmed, entered the pound on April 12 2023 and was killed on August 21 2023? Should we revel in knowing that he spent 133 days suffering mental and physical torture, locked within four walls without ever seeing outside, without any human warmth, without even a toy or a blanket, before being killed in cold blood, pressed against a wall, handled with no qualms until being lethally injected in the heart, spending his last moments of life alone and afraid?

Yes, we are relieved to learn that some were lucky enough to have been saved by associations after days of being locked up. But this will not make us forget the deaths; and it should not make us forget what these innocent animals experience when they go into pounds. Not everyone is lucky enough to survive and some end their days in conditions even worse than those we have revealed. On May 22 2024, a hearing will be held at the Perpignan legal tribunal against a manager at the SACPA pound in Perpignan for acts of cruelty. He is suspected of having carried out “savage euthanasias” and of having killed animals himself, which constitutes an illegal use of veterinary medicine, in addition to lack of care and abuse. We will of course be present at the hearing to give animals a voice.

We have also not forgotten the fate of the animals at the Passerelles Vers l’Emploi Pound and at SIVU 47.

Underneath all the smooth talking, thousands of animals suffer

In its press release, SACPA explained that several euthanasias happened following canine distemper. Does this diagnosis justify a living being being executed, without any consideration or dignity, in its own excrement? What does this say about the health measures implemented? With this virus being particularly contagious and dangerous for dogs, were strict isolation and quarantine measures carried out? Were the premises properly disinfected to put an end to the epidemic? We doubt it, given the number of contaminations within the pound itself and when, according to their own statement, the dogs develop the disease in the organisation, this is the reaction: “Regarding the Border Collie cross, female. Accidental arrival from the town of Peyremale. She was the source of the distemper virus [...]. She was resistant to treatment. Date of entry 14/07/2023. Date of medical euthanasia: 23/08/2023.” (sic)

Transparency is a facade

We are accused of not having made enquiries, of not having contacted management for a “guided tour” of the premises. However, at the end of August, we sent letters by recorded mail to 35 SACPA organisations in the country asking them for copies of their animal records for 2022. All were left without a reply. However, a call from management informed us of their intention to publish certain data online in 2024. While waiting, we have not obtained the requested documents. Can we believe for a single moment that we would have been let in and shown the true reality by filming this series of slaughters in these conditions?

As long as the law does not change to reduce the number of abandonments and slaughters in pounds, we will continue to condemn what is happening there. Should the private SACPA group not be supporting our fight and aligning with our requests to fight against these tragedies? But why would they? With the “management” of stray animals being their business, they have no interest in seeing abandonments decrease.

Help us to change the fate of thousands of animals each year: sign our petition for the end of killing in pounds.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice