Sweden: Memorial for dog killed in Stockholm terrorist attack

SWEDEN -- An image showing a memorial for a dog killed in central Stockholm when a lorry rammed into people has drawn attention online after it was posted on Facebook.

Four people - a British national, two Swedes and one Belgian - were killed in the Islamic terrorist attack on Friday.

Markus Krantz, 37, and his girlfriend who live just north of the capital went to the scene of the attack after it was re-opened to the public, and noticed that nothing was there to recognise the death of the dog called Iggy.

When it came to light that Iggy was a rescue dog, Markus returned to the scene and left the dog flowers and a message on their behalf.

The original image posted by Markus on Saturday from the scene of Iggy's death - which has over 48,000 reactions - shows dog crackers, candles and a leash that belonged to his dog Ebba who died in 2016.

Markus told the BBC that he and his girlfriend heard that a dog had been killed but were unable to find anything where Iggy last walked that specifically recognised the dog.

"We decided to put down flowers and dog crackers, and light a candle," he said.
"My mom asked me to take a picture and send it to her and since it went online, the response has been 100 per cent positive. Just pure love," Markus continued.

Following this, Markus discovered that Iggy was a rescue dog from Dogs Aid Animal Sanctuary in Dublin. Markus currently has five dogs, all rescued from Romania.

Dogs Aid asked Markus to return to the site and leave a message on their behalf: "Iggy Run Free, from all ur friends in Dogs Aid in Dublin."

On Facebook, the sanctuary said: "We are deeply saddened to learn that one of our dogs was killed in the terrorist attack in Stockholm. DOGS AID IGGY found his beautiful home in Sweden in 2012."

More people have paid a visit to the memorial site. Pictures online show a stuffed dog, a child's drawing of a dog, crackers, a rubber dog bone toy, candles and flowers.

And Facebook users sent their love to Iggy, with one sharing an image of "doggy heaven".

(BBC - April 10, 2017)

Injustice in Florida: Monieram Rathibhan, 59, pleads guilty to horrific animal cruelty at illegal slaughterhouse. Gets just 90 days house arrest, 3 years probation

FLORIDA -- Instead of jurors watching undercover videos of goats and other farm animals being illegally slaughtered, the charges against a rancher ended in a plea deal Wednesday.

Now all eight men arrested in law enforcement raids of three Loxahatchee farms Oct. 13 have had their cases resolved, pleasing a Miami animal rights group that secretly recorded the videos.

 

 

  

Only one man took his case to a jury, resulting in convictions and a one-year jail sentence. The rest took plea offers from the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office.

The final deal was for Monieram Rathibhan, 59, owner of Medina Farms. With his trial scheduled to begin Monday, he pleaded guilty to five animal cruelty charges, including three felonies.

Circuit Judge Krista Marx should not have accepted this deal
Circuit Judge Krista Marx sentenced Rathibhan to three years of probation, including 90 days in Palm Beach County Jail that could be converted to house arrest.

"You shall not possess farm animals of any kind," Marx told the longtime farmer, noting that the restrictions include "horses, cattle, cows, goats, pigs and ducks."

Rathibhan also is banned from participating in any animal slaughtering operations, and his property will be subject to random inspections by deputies who work in the sheriff's agricultural crimes unit.

"Investigators have witnessed and documented extreme acts of animal cruelty such as, slitting goat's necks while they are restrained on their backs, forced to suffocate in their own blood, as well as slitting and severing the throats of cows with extremely dull blades before hoisting them by their hind legs and skinning them alive, often dragging out their death for over 20 minutes," authorities said.

Any violations could reopen the case, meaning he could face new punishments under the felonies that altogether are punishable by up to 25 years in prison.

But if Rathibhan fully complies with the terms, negotiated by prosecutor Judith Arco and defense attorney Christian Van Riper, he will not have felony convictions on his record.

As long as this POS Monieram Rathibhan doesn't get arrested in the next three years, THIS WILL ALL BE WIPED OFF HIS CRIMINAL RECORD -- AS THOUGH IT HAD NEVER HAPPENED. AS THOUGH HE HAD NEVER TORTURED AND SKINNED ALIVE AND BOILED ALIVE AND STRANGLED AND STOMPED AND HANGED ANIMALS FOR YEARS. 

"I'm pleased to see he's doing some jail time with the violent crimes he committed," Animal Recovery Mission founder Richard Couto told the Sun Sentinel.

The organization has cited Rathibhan for allegedly torturing thousands of animals over three decades — "we are happy he's shut down," Couto said.

Years of community complaints about suspected animal torture prompted investigators with the animal rights group to pose as meat-seeking customers at Medina Farms, Rancho Garcia and Paso Fino G.A. Farm last summer.

A video from Aug. 22, 2015 shows a Medina Farms worker inviting one of Couto's investigators to watch the slaughter of a white goat on the property in the 2100 block of C Road. The footage shows the goat being placed on a wooden rack.

"Without rendering the goat insensitive to pain, [the worker] cuts into the goat's neck. The goat struggles and kicks violently, causing Monieram Rathibhan to grab its legs and hold it down," the arrest report states.

In a Sept. 9 video, Rathibhan is recorded shooting a black and white Holstein cow in the head with what appeared to be a .22-caliber rifle. The cow fell to its knees but didn't immediately die.

"A .22-caliber is not the appropriate caliber for a cow of its size," a veterinarian noted for investigators.

The cow struggled as Rathibhan cut its neck. As the cow kicked its legs, the worker proceeded to butcher the animal, according to the report.

Medina Farm's customers largely consisted of Muslims, "who bought animals to be slaughtered for human consumption and ritualistic sacrifice," authorities said.

In March, a jury convicted rancher Jorge Garcia (aka Jorge Luis Garcia), 48, on four misdemeanor animal cruelty charges concerning the illegal slaughter of two goats on his property, which has since been foreclosed.

 

Authorities said undercover ARM investigators witnessed and captured footage of Garcia and his employees "selling large amounts of horse meat, violently stabbing pigs in the heart and boiling them alive, slitting throats of goats and rams before hoisting them by their hind legs then skinning them alive, and brutally stomping on ducks, slitting their throats and drowning them in their own blood."

While sentencing Garcia, Circuit Judge Samantha Schosberg Feuer said she considered testimony about how many farm animals, not just the slaughtered goats, were "tortured, brutalized and lived in squalor."

(Sun Sentinel - ‎Aug 17, 2016)

Earlier:

• Loxahatchee animal cruelty bust largest in U.S. history

Florida: Loxahatchee illegal slaughterhouse / animal cruelty bust largest in U.S. history

Slaughterhouse owners, employees accused of torturing animals, selling meat on black market

FLORIDA -- Authorities in Palm Beach County raided three illegal slaughterhouses Tuesday morning in Loxahatchee with the help of officials with the Animal Recovery Mission.

The operation resulted in the arrests of the slaughterhouse owners and employees.

 

Authorities said the owners were involved in the underground and illegal slaughter of horses and illegal sale of their meat for human consumption.

Tuesday's raid was the largest tactical strike on extreme animal cruelty operations in U.S. history.

One of the owners was identified as Jorge Garcia, who runs Rancho Garcia, 15703 Orange Blvd. Authorities said Garcia's customers have been traveling to Loxahatchee from the Miami area for decades and said Garcia purchases his horses from animal auctions and Craigslist.

Garcia is also accused of selling the animals for black magic and sacrificial purposes.

Authorities said undercover ARM investigators witnessed and captured footage of Garcia and his employees "selling large amounts of horse meat, violently stabbing pigs in the heart and boiling them alive, slitting throats of goats and rams before hoisting them by their hind legs then skinning them alive, and brutally stomping on ducks, slitting their throats and drowning them in their own blood."

Garcia also used a section of his farm to run a puppy mill, where he breeds and sells dogs, authorities said.

G.A. Paso Fino, 14873 Collecting Canal Road was also raided and shut down Tuesday.

Authorities said the property is used for the training, breeding and selling of horses for slaughter, and is owned by Orlando Guzman.

Guzman rents part of the land in the back of the property to Edgar Sr. Bica and Edgar Jr. Bica, who are also accused of running an illegal slaughterhouse.

ARM investigators said the men supplied horse meat on the black market in the Loxahatchee and greater Wellington areas for decades, and tortured and slaughtered chickens, pigs and goats.

Investigators said the men killed the animals the same way as Garcia and said they would also throw live armadillos into boiling water.

Investigators said a puppy mill was being operated on the site, and the dogs were contained in small cages "riddled with excrement and rust and no water available."

Cock fighting roosters were also discovered on the property.

The final slaughterhouse raided Tuesday was Medina Farm, 2151 C. Road.

Authorities said the farm is legally incorporated, but claim the owner Jay and his employee, Jose, have been illegally slaughtering and torturing animals on their farm for decades.

"ARM investigators have witnessed and documented extreme acts of animal cruelty such as, slitting goat's necks while they are restrained on their backs, forced to suffocate in their own blood, as well as slitting and severing the throats of cows with extremely dull blades before hoisting them by their hind legs and skinning them alive, often dragging out their death for over 20 minutes," authorities said.

Medina Farm's customers largely consisted of Muslims, "who bought animals to be slaughtered for human consumption and ritualistic sacrifice," authorities said.

(Local 10 - Oct 13, 2015)

Detroit Islamic slaughterhouse threatened with closure amid animal cruelty violations

MICHIGAN -- An Eastern Market slaughterhouse that has been illegally dumping rotting lamb carcasses inside a dumpster along Gratiot was shut down twice last year for animal cruelty and threatened with permanent closure in September.

A review of USDA inspection reports shows that Berry and Sons Islamic Slaughter House has a long history of problems that range from the “inhumane treatment of animals” to questionable purchasing decisions.

 

 

 

USDA inspectors temporarily halted operations at the Halal slaughterhouse in June and September following separate “egregious violations,” inspection reports show.

In June, an inspector spotted an employee grabbing a small lamb by the neck and tossing it “airborne until it landed on its side in the truck bed, staggered, and then stood.”

Just one week after the cruelty case was closed in September, an inspector observed the mishandling of two disabled sheep, at least one of which had been trampled by some of the other animals.
According to the inspector, one of the sheep was so badly injured that employees thought it was dead. But after realizing the sheep was still breathing, employees tried to carry the animal “holding onto it only by the wool.”

“It has been determined that you have not designed, developed, and implemented a robust systematic approach for the humane handling of animals at your establishment and do not have a recent history of regulatory compliance,” the USDA wrote in a sharply worded letter. “Further, FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service) has provided you with numerous opportunities to implement effective corrective and preventive actions to ensure compliance with Agency statutory and regulatory requirements, but these measures have proved inadequate.

"This indicates that your establishment may be unwilling or unable to execute the humane handling and slaughter of livestock procedures in a manner that ensures all animals received for slaughter at your establishment are handled humanely.”

The USDA said it was considering whether to permanently suspend operations at the slaughterhouse, which does big business and has been operating at the Eastern Market since 1973. USDA records indicate that Berry and Sons Islamic Slaughter House spends up to $2 million on nearly 20,000 animals to butcher a year.

Berry and Sons also has four butcher shops in metro Detroit.  The slaughterhouse is at 2496 Orleans St. at the Eastern Market.

On Sunday, we published photos of rotting lamb carcasses in a dumpster plainly visible by motorists on Gratiot. The stench was so strong that it could be smelled blocks away.

The story has prompted a state investigation. The Bodies of Dead Animals Act of 1982 requires carcasses to be burned, buried or passed off to a licensed processor within 24 hours of being slaughtered.

(Motor City Muckraker - Feb 10, 2015)