A puppy isn't just for Christmas
A plethora of stray dogs on Reunion Island combined with an abundance of sharks that populate its surrounding reefs has led fisherman to an obvious solution. In what is a remarkable double boo boo for animal rights, some Reunion locals have been using live dogs and cats as bait to catch sharks.
In a story first reported by British tabloid, the Sun in 2005, kittens, puppies and stray dogs were pictured having their snouts and feet skewered with meat hooks. The animals were left to bleed for a day in order to maximise their burley potential, before being towed behind a boat or attached to a buoy and dropped in the water.
While it would appear a trumped-up yarn, purpose-built for inflammatory tabloids and a hypocritical animal rights sector, it’s for real. Months after the Sun reported it, National Geographic followed up the story and found local authorities had made just one arrest. They also found, despite assurances from the French government that it was an isolated case, "Lately, almost every week, one dog has been found with hooks on the island, not counting the cats found on the beaches partially eaten by the sharks."
When I contacted the Australian branch of the RCSPA, media officer Michelle Minehan was unable to provide any recent statistics. She maintained, however, the French had continued to ignore their responsibility. “As a cultured, forthright nation. They should not be allowing this,” she said.
As for why there has been such limited coverage of the story, Michelle says simply, “people don’t want to hear about it.”I mention to her that Reunion is a fave amongst the surfing population and also the next stop of a group of young, conscientious flarers we know as the Modern Collective. While she hadn’t heard of the Mod Coll, she did say they could help the situation.
Modern Collective filmer and director, Kai Neville, was at Sydney airport with Jordy and Craig Anderson waiting to board a flight to Reunion Island when I contacted him. After telling me he had recently acquired an “all-time” fox terrier, I told him the story. Kai said it made him feel “queasy,” and “If I saw someone doing it I would give the guy a left boot.”
When I told him there was something a little more productive he could do to raise awareness, Kai said he would love to help.“I will suss it out for sure. If is see it happening I will film it.”
…. And so we arrive at “The Modern Collective: Now hunting ramps…and dog-bait-using fishmongers… around the galaxy.”
Yep (dusting my hands) that’s my conscientious story for the week. – Jed Smith
Modern Collective - The First Visions from Poor Specimen on Vimeo.
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Reply #18 on : Fri July 31, 2009, 05:01:51