Killer dogs have been filmed ‘hunting’ and savaging terrified cats at Lagos’ ‘Ferry Cat colony’, on the river into the marina.
Authorities are described as working together to try and locate the dogs and their owner (see update below) – who appears in the footage to be looking on as his pets go on their bloody rampage.
The dogs – German or perhaps Belgian Shepherds – were filmed swimming across the river from the Avenida and honing in straight away on the colony of ‘wild’ cats that live in what should be a sanctuary, close to the rocks.
One feline, apparently named Amy by volunteers who feed the cats every day, can be seen graphically torn to pieces while two or three other cats are now reported to be ‘missing’.
Colony helpers have called in police who are now working with maritime authorities to trace the dogs’ owner – a man described as living in a van and known to ‘beg’ for food for his animals.
The mayor’s office is said to be ‘completely up to date’ on this story and encouraging authorities to act fast.
Said colony volunteer Annabelle Reid: “They have all seen the video and were shocked”.
Local social media is sharing the story in increasing outrage as it appears the man was staying in Lagos last year – with the same dogs – and allowing them to chase the cats then as well.
Said one commentator: “The evidence is indisputable, this man must be prosecuted! His dogs need to be muzzled, they are aggressive killers. In this pack mentality no child is safe in their proximity…”
This of course will be a concern, as will the peace of mind of all cat owners who live close to the Avenida.
But with the owner still untraced this afternoon, Annabelle Reid has posted: “ I am very concerned that the man may return and the cats will be attacked again. We need to guard and protect the cats during the evening when he may return”.
Anyone willing to help should make contact with the Lagos Ferry Cats Facebook page.
Meantime, Annabelle has described Amy as “a beautiful one eyed pale ginger”. It may be that the dogs ‘caught her’ because of her lack of two working eyes.
“The other cats must have been terrified”, writes Annabelle, accepting that it was lucky that the horror was caught on video, along with a photo of the owner, as now there can be no doubt as to what actually happened.
UPDATE:
Positive news from Lagos came late this afternoon: “We have had confirmation that the dogs have been removed to the municipal kennels”, writes Annabelle. “The owner is now assisting the authorities with their inquiries and (the case) will proceed to court in due course. The cats are now safe and Amy will have justice”.
The Ferry Cat group has since launched a petition to try and ensure the dogs are not returned to their owner (see separate story on our site).
The dogs are known to have killed animals in the past, and attacked other dogs. There is even an account of them having attacked and injured a person.
Fears are that if they are returned to their owner, problems will simply continue.
The petition can be found here: https://peticaopublica.com/pview.aspx?pi=PT100412
