Cat carnage in posh Makati village draws flak
By Elvira Mata
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:31:00 01/03/2008
Filed Under: Animals, Local authorities
MANILA, Philippines – An animal welfare group has asked the National Bureau of Investigation to look into the slaughter of 29 kittens and cats which occurred a week before Christmas in an upscale village in Makati City.
Republic Act 8485, otherwise known as the Animal Welfare Act of 1998, makes it unlawful for any person to torture or kill an animal—like dogs, cats and horses—or neglect to provide care, sustenance or shelter, said Nancy H. Cu Unjieng, president of the Compassion and Responsibility for Animals (Cara) Philippines.
Letter
In a letter sent on Dec. 26, 2007 to NBI director Nestor M. Mantaring Cu Unjieng wrote: “On Dec. 16, an unidentified individual, using an air gun with lead pellets, shot 29 kittens and cats in two holding cages at the back of the gym of the Dasmariñas Village Association along Calumpang Street.”
The cats were all under 6-months-old, well-cared for and were not disturbing anyone. They were up for adoption and under the care of Cara which has been helping the Dasmariñas Village Association address its stray cat population problem through a program called Catch, Neuter and Release. “The program is four years old but this is the first time the cats were harmed,” Cu Unjieng told the Inquirer last week.
Recalling the brutal killing, she said: “Early Sunday morning, (Dec. 16), a security guard called us at home and told us what happened. We immediately went to the holding area and we saw blood splattered on the cages and on the walls. The cats were either dead or dying. It was a horrible sight! We called our vet, Dr. Nielsen Donato of Vets in Practice and he came quickly. But he was only able to save 15 cats.”
In her letter to the NBI, Cu Unjieng wrote: “After the carnage, three cats died from head wounds, 11 were seriously injured and euthanized by our veterinarian, eight underwent surgery to remove embedded pellets and seven were grazed by pellets.”
The village security team investigated the incident but found no witnesses who saw or heard any shots fired that night. They have no leads as to the identity of the cat killers.
“Which is why I am appealing to the NBI to conduct its own investigation to expose the owner and user of the air gun. The expertise of the NBI is crucial at this point,” Cu Unjieng said in her letter. “There is a person living in this gated village who is dangerous. If he can kill helpless cats in the holding area near the park, he may start shooting at children who are playing in the park.”
Circular
Victoria P. Celdran, president of the Dasmariñas Village Association, sent a circular on Dec. 19 to residents asking for information leading to the identification of the owner and user of the air gun. “He may be in our midst. If he can kill helpless cats at the back of the gym, near our park, he may start shooting at humans later with a gun other than that which uses compressed air and pellets,” she wrote in the circular.
“We are very, very upset. The kittens were in cages!” Celdran told the Inquirer. “The person who did this must have emotional problems. First he shoots cats, then what—children? We also want to stress that Dasma is not a practice ground for air guns.”
Celdran said they would not stop the investigations until the culprit is caught. “The village association will file a case against him. He committed a crime under the Animal Welfare Act and he could go to jail.”
Cara is also working with the Forbes Park community, the Manila Golf & Country Club and soon, the Bel-Air Village Association in dealing with their stray cat population problem.
Many communities, both here and abroad, have adopted the catch, neuter and release program, Cu Unjieng said. Apart from avoiding unwanted kittens by “fixing” these animals, other benefits are less cat fights and mating calls and free and efficient rodent control, she added.
Clinic
Cara has also opened a spay/neuter clinic at the Carson Bldg., Orense corner Del Carmen Streets, Guadalupe Nuevo in Makati City. Starting Jan. 14, clinic hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays by appointment. For more information, call 882-5323 (telefax) and 0910-7297026 (mobile).
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