Why were ‘Tarmac’ dogs beaten to death? – VSPCA
President of the Vincentian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (VSPCA), Jhanice Nelson, is questioning why such harsh measures were employed to rid the areas around the E.T.Joshua tarmac of its stray dog population which has been blamed for the flea infestation at two nearby schools.
For more than a year, classes at the Thomas Saunders Secondary School (TSSS) and the St Vincent Girls’ High School (GHS,) have been repeatedly halted due to complaints from staff and students about flea bites.
The situation escalated within the last two weeks, leading authorities to conduct an intense cleaning and fumigation of the temporary facilities. What emerged after were images of dogs being rounded up and beaten to death by what SEARCHLIGHT understands are employees of a government Ministry.
A video circulated on social media shows two males collecting the bodies of the dogs, and the VSPCA revealed they received an anonymous letter from someone who said they witnessed the entire incident.
“I am still deeply disturbed by what I saw, and I feel I cannot stay silent. While walking in the area, I saw a grey truck, license plate G1140, pull up. Several men emerged and proceeded to commit an act of appalling cruelty. They chased a black dog with a long, wooden stick, and then, with sickening force, they struck the poor creature. The dog’s scream was a sound I will never forget – a sound of pure terror and pain. It was struck so hard that it collapsed and stopped moving, “ the letter stated.
The letter goes on to say that the same men emerged from the surrounding buildings “carrying bags filled with other dead dogs”.
In an interview with SEARCHLIGHT, Nelson said the VSPCA strongly condemns the acts of cruelty used on the strays, adding that humane methods could have been used to catch the animals without terrorizing them.
“They could’ve used sedation by putting medication in food and giving it to the dogs and then waiting until they got drowsy.”
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