Category: pets

General News, pets, Stray Animals, Uncategorized

(US – Santa Ana/CA) Sign: Outrage After Serial Cat Killer, Responsible for Slaying Dozens of Cats, Released from Jail!

https://animalvictory.org/petition/sign-outrage-after-serial-cat-killer-responsible-for-slaying-dozens-of-cats-released-from-jail/

Published: May 05, 2025 at 02:30 PM Author: PENNY EIMS

Santa Ana, CA – On April 23, Santa Ana Police executed a search warrant at the home of Alejandro Acosta Oliveros in the 2300 block of W. Wilshire Avenue. The 45-year-old man found himself facing felony animal cruelty charges for abducting and killing what police say are “a lot” of cats in the area.

Via Santa Ana Police Department

Though Oliveros had “evidence” of killing cats inside his home, AND he confessed to slaying felines, he was released from custody shortly after being apprehended.

People living in the area where Oliveros abducted and killed cats are outraged that this CONFESSED cat killer is once again on the loose after posting bail. There are even reports from an area cat rescue that Oliveros has ALREADY killed another cat after being released from custody.

Residents had been reporting the cruel incidents to the authorities for weeks with victimized families sharing their horror stories on various social media outlets, including the Nextdoor neighborhood platform.

Families said Oliveros lured cats and then tortured and killed them in various ways. One person said, “Hello! I’m near El Salvador Park, and my neighbor’s cat was killed by a man who injected it with some sort of substance.” Another person said they found their cat hanging from a tree. People who witnessed Oliveros committing crimes say he lured cats with food, then stepped on them when they got close to him.

Cats slain/screengrab via Fox 11 News

This man is clearly a danger to cats in the area, and a danger to society as a whole. Animal Victory needs your support to show court officials that the prosecution of this man MUST be taken seriously. The District Attorney’s Office has told Animal Victory that a case number has not yet been assigned, but we will be working to ensure that this does not fall through the cracks. Please add your name to the petition today!

Target: Orange County District Attorney’s Office

WHY THIS PETITION MATTERS: 

We, the undersigned, demand Alejandro Acosta Oliveros be held accountable for his cruel actions, resulting in the deaths of more than a dozen innocent cats. We collectively insist that this man NOT receive a plea deal – he is a dangerous individual who MUST be brought to justice.

Research has consistently shown a strong link between animal cruelty and human violence. Individuals who commit such heinous acts against animals often pose a threat to society as a whole, as animal abuse is frequently a precursor to other violent crimes. Failing to hold this man accountable not only denies justice for the suffering and death he caused but also endangers the community at large. It is imperative that we send a clear message that such cruelty will not be tolerated.

Individuals are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law. Animal Victory relies upon the authorities and the court system to determine guilt or innocence.

Note: Statement released from the Santa Ana Police about Oliveros’ release from jail, “The suspect in the recent animal cruelty investigation was arrested last week and he later posted bail. We recognize the strong emotions this case has generated and ask the public to please allow the judicial process to take its course.

PLEASE SIGN ON PAGE

General News, pets, Stray Animals, Uncategorized

Not very recent, but heartwarming all the same .. Friar Bigotón

https://www.thedodo.com/monastery-adopts-friar-dog-2303203254.html

Published on March 6, 2017 at 5:14 PM

Little Dog Is Welcomed As Monastery’s Cutest New Friar

“All of the brothers love him very much.”

In Catholic tradition, St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals — so perhaps it’s only fitting that one of the newest followers to join his order is quite literally a dog.

The Franciscan monastery of Cochabamba, Bolivia, recently announced that a furry pup, named Carmelo, had joined its sacred fold, where he quickly distinguished himself as its cutest member.

In honor of his new position, the dog even earned a more formal title: Friar Bigotón (that’s Spanish for “mustache”).

He also got a tiny Franciscan habit to wear around his new home.

Prior to being adopted, Friar Bigotón lived as a stray. But now, as the monastery’s resident pet, things couldn’t be better.

“His life is all about playing and running,” Jorge Fernandez, a fellow friar, told The Dodo. “Here, all of the brothers love him very much. He is a creature of God.”

Apparently, running and playing aren’t the dog’s only duties.

“[Here’s] Brother Carmelo preaching to the fish,” wrote Franciscan Kasper Mariusz Kaproń, who first posted these adorable photos online.

Most importantly, though, Friar Bigotón’s biggest role is in helping other pups like him.

Carmelo’s adoption was made possible by a local animal rescue group, Proyecto Narices Frías (Cold Nose Project), which hopes his story will serve as an inspiration for more monasteries to open their doors to needy pets.

Image credits: Kasper Mariusz Kaproń Ofm

“If only all the churches of our country adopt a dog and care for him like Friar Bigotón,” the group wrote in a post on Facebook, “we are sure that the parishioners would follow his example.”

(The Franciscan Order, founded by S. Francis of Assisi, to this day, takes a keen interest in environmental issues – attends the COP Climate Change Conferences – and animal welfare, in accordance with the teachings of their founder)

China Cat Torture, General News, pets, Stray Animals, Uncategorized

THE LINK: Animal Abuse and Violence/Murder of Humans

The link has been established many times, with serial killers especially, who started with animals in their youth, and later migrated to people. We, and others working on the “Cat Torture” issue have warned against the perpetrators in China and elsewhere (as this material is spread globally via Social Media) eventually performing that same migration. Obviously, that does not mean the animal abuse is negligible so long as it stays there. Far from it. On the contrary – as, it has been said many times before, that the more helpless a creature, and so a victim, is, the more deserving it is of compassion. There can be no more helpless party, in a human society, that largely denies them any rights and/or equal consideration in respect to freedom from pain and suffering, than an animal.

One such example, which I remember well – as I have seen the material (meaning: videos) at the time – concerning a now 42-year old native of Canada, is one “Luca Rocco Magnotta”.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Jun_Lin#Perpetrator

He came to fame, if that’s the phrase for what he did, when he murdered and dismembered his boyfriend in 2012. He was eventually apprehended in Berlin, and is currently imprisoned, for life. What I remember him best for, though, is …

.. which, in 2019, was the subject of a “True Crime Miniseries”, called, “Don’t F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer“

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_F**k_with_Cats:_Hunting_an_Internet_Killer

This is but one of many, who started out on animals, and later tortured/killed Humans.

There are two publications on the issue that are worth reading:

“The Link: Cruelty to Animals and Violence Towards People“

https://www.animallaw.info/article/link-cruelty-animals-and-violence-towards-people

The Link_Cruelty to Animals and Violence Towards PeopleDownload

and

“Animal Cruelty, Pet Abuse & Violence: The Missed Dangerous Connection“

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329457813_Animal_cruelty_pet_abuse_violence_the_missed_dangerous_connection

Animalcrueltypetabuseviolence2018Download

It cannot be stressed often enough that the nice guy next door carrying the little old ladies’ shopping upstairs might be a raving pervert, spending his time torturing animals, and hatching plans to do same to people. Not all of them are as obvious as this one last year ..

General News, pets, Uncategorized

(UK – Somerset) Investigation after dead cat found in bin bag

BBC News, West of England

An owner reportedly left a heavily-pregnant cat to die in a bin bag, an animal rescue centre has said.

Bosses at Little Paws Rescue, based in Clevedon, North Somerset, said an investigation has been launched after one of the “most horrific” incidents they have had to deal with.

They were called on Sunday after a member of the public found the dead cat on a popular walking route, called the 100 steps, in Hanham, South Gloucestershire.

Imogen Scofield, from Little Paws Rescue, said “heartbreakingly” the calico cat tried to claw her way out of the bag and went into labour after being dumped.

But due to the circumstances, none of the kittens survived, the animal charity said.

Ms Scofield continued: “It is the most upsetting thing we’ve had to witness, this poor cat didn’t deserve to suffer like she did.

“There is help out there and they could have contacted a rescue [centre] like ourselves who would have helped.”

Ms Scofield also confirmed the charity is asking people who live near the 100 steps to bring forward any CCTV from Sunday.

“The authorities are involved too, but we will do all we can to find out who did this,” she added.

PETITION

They Abandoned a Pregnant Cat in a Trash Bag. Then, She Went Into Labour.

https://www.thepetitionsite.com/913/260/083/

A heart-wrenching and unimaginable act of cruelty has recently come to light in Hanham, South Gloucestershire. A heavily pregnant calico cat was abandoned in a plastic bin bag, left to die alone and in agony. Tragically, the cat went into labor before she passed, but none of her kittens survived. This poor animal suffered a horrific and unnecessary death – one that could have been easily avoided if the owner had sought the help and support that is readily available.

Sign this petition to urge local authorities to investigate this heartless act and to begin a public education campaign to inform the community about the options available to those with unwanted pets.

According to the organisation called to the scene, the cat attempted to claw her way out of the bag, desperate for life and a chance for her kittens. Sadly, her cries went unheard, and the kittens, who could have been saved, perished along with her.

This tragedy underscores the need for better public awareness. There are shelters and organizations that provide assistance to those in need, and no animal should ever suffer because of a lack of knowledge about these resources.

We need to ensure that people understand that they have options. No one should feel so desperate that they resort to abandoning a pet in this inhumane way. Sign this petition today to make sure that no more animals have to suffer like this again!

Asia, China Cat Torture, General News, pets, Stray Animals

(IDA) Stop Online Cat Torture Groups!

(a new action in relation to this subject already covered extensively on this site)

https://www.idausa.org/campaign/animal-companions/latest/stop-online-cat-torture-groups/

Many people scrolling through various social media sites are completely unaware of sinister channels and private groups that promote and distribute graphic and heartbreaking content of cats and other animals being sadistically maimed, tortured, and killed for views and money. Tell social media platforms to shut these accounts down!

Between July 2020 and August 2021, the Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition documented 5,480 instances of animal cruelty content found on YouTube, Facebook, or TikTok, which didn’t even include private groups or conversations specifically set up to exchange cruelty content. However, just those few thousand videos were viewed a staggering 5,347,809,262 times.

In 2023, multiple horrifying videos of cats being tortured appeared online, causing global outrage. Investigative work by Feline Guardians found that the virality of this content led to subsequent cat torture rings producing and distributing hundreds of new torture videos that circulated across Telegram and other social media platforms.

Between May 2023 and June 2024, an estimated 500 cats became victims of unspeakable cruelty at the hands of members of this cat torture network, with 31 cats killed by a single person.

Further data collected shows an alarming 300% increase in cat torture cases between December 2024 and early 2025, particularly originating from China.

This organized group of criminals was found to be mass producing videos, largely in China, to take advantage of a lack of animal cruelty laws, sharing them on social media, creating websites on the dark net to distribute videos, and using Chinese social media sites to promote these websites and recruit members. To the frustration of Chinese activists and others working to shut this down, less than 1% of abusers have been investigated by authorities.

Dozens of groups on Telegram with thousands of participants are exchanging as much as 100+ of videos daily of horrifying content. More troubling still are the attempts to encourage children and young adults to watch and commit animal torture themselves.

Tragically, this has been found to be an international issue with cruelty content originating from many countries with multiple platforms involved, and it’s been linked to other criminal activity, such as child sex abuse material, terrorism, animal theft, and extortion.

Platforms that allow users to engage in the production and distribution of this content must take action to stop it.

… please refer to the page for contacts/suggestions …

General News, pets, Uncategorized

(US) Couple took cat to Utah beauty spot and ignored warning signs… and only one came back

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14669339/couple-cat-utah-national-park-beauty-spot-warning-signs.html

Published: 20:33 BST, 1 May 2025 | Updated: 21:43 BST, 1 May 2025

A Florida couple took their elderly cat with them on a hike in Utah, but after ignoring warning signs only one of them made it out alive. 

The bodies of Matthew Nannen, 45, and Bailee Crane, 58, were discovered Tuesday by park visitors in Bryce Canyon National Park after they fell about 380ft below Inspiration Point, according to the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office. 

The couple, who appeared to be living out of a U-Haul truck, are believed to have fallen to their deaths on either Monday night or early Tuesday morning, police said. 

Although there was a railing at the top of the cliff, police said Nannen and Crane climbed over it. There was also snow in the area that made for slippery conditions.  

When their bodies were located, authorities also found a female tabby cat inside a ripped and dirty black soft-sided carrier, the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary said. 

The cat, who has since been named Mirage, appeared to have fallen with her owners but ‘seemed to have weathered the fall fairly well,’ the no-kill shelter told the outlet. 

When Mirage was brought to the shelter, she was ‘matted and a bit sore,’ but during her examination she was very friendly. 

Judah Battista, the chief sanctuary officer with the shelter, told DailyMail.com Mirage suffered two fractured canines and two fractured ribs from the fall. 

Right now, the team there is focused on ‘getting her well and providing a safe and loving space for Mirage.’ 

When asked if they would put her up for adoption down the road, Battista said the shelter plans to see if any of the couple’s extended family would like to take her in first. If not, they plan to have her adopted.

Video and images shared by the shelter showed several employees taking great care of Mirage and nursing her back to health. 

Battista said they have taken animals in before that have been a part of horrible incidents, but the shelter has never seen anything ‘quite as dramatic as this.’  

Nannen and Crane had just made their way to Utah from Arizona and are permanent residents of Florida, authorities said. 

The exact cause of the incident remains under investigation. 

‘Detectives are considering all possibilities, but preliminary investigations have not been able to definitively determine the cause of the fall,’ the sheriff’s office told KUTV.  

DailyMail.com contacted the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office and Bryce Canyon National Park for more information. 

Inspiration Point is known to give spectators a ‘birds-eye view of the world’s largest collection of rock spires called “hoodoos” found within the Bryce Amphitheater,’ according to the national park. 

News of this tragedy comes just months after a beloved and heavily-pregnant California school teacher died after falling while on a hiking trip in Greece. 

Clara Thomann, 33, had been traveling through Plakias, Crete, with her partner Elliott Finn when she fell during a hike and died on December 23.

Thomann, from Santa Barbara, was six months pregnant at the time, according to SFGate. She was also a teacher at the Dos Pueblos High School.

According to The Greek Reporter, she had slipped and tumbled 50 meters down a gorge from a hiking trail near the Preveli Monastery in the Rethymno region.

The outlet reported that she was pronounced brain dead less than a week after the fall, which caused her to suffer major injuries to her skull and chest.

Tragically Thomann lost her unborn child in the fall, with 21 firefighters and rescue teams battling to reach her from what was described as an inaccessible spot.

Her family traveled to the country to visit her before her death, with Veronica Katz writing on her CaringBridge page, seen by SFGate, that she ‘loved helping and teaching others.’ 

According to her social media, she had worked as a physics teacher. Her family have announced they would be donating her organs.

General News, pets, Uncategorized, Vivisection

Animal Experimentation, otherwise called “Vivisection” once again …

There is a war being waged between the scientific establishment with its backers in politics and industry, and “us” – that is people who reject vivisection, or the use of non-human sentient beings for research – when it is forbidden to “use” humans for like experiments. The main reason why animals are used, of course, is their inability to prevent people doing it, and a legal framework – pretty much worldwide – that allows this.

We have covered this issue on the site many times.

https://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk is a UK organisation that lobbies the cause of the vivisectionists, big pharma, and who else profits from this, by pretending to further public understanding as to why this practice is necessary and continues to be so.

Here are several articles:

https://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/news/uar-debates-cruelty-free-international-on-bbc-radio-4-today

UAR debates Cruelty Free International on BBC Radio 4 Today

Posted: by UAR News on 28/04/25

(our comment: happy dogs in research lab??)

https://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/news/mps-debate-use-of-dogs-in-research-government-maintains-stance

MPs debate use of dogs in research: government maintains stance

Posted: by Aidan Cruddace on 1/05/25

https://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/news/uk-animal-rights-extremists-cleared-of-psychological-warfare-on-businessman

UK animal rights extremists cleared of ‘psychological warfare’ on businessman

Posted: by UAR News on 19/03/24

and of course – the main question:

https://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/news/ethics-of-animal-research

Is animal research ethical?

Posted: by John Meredith on 16/02/22

.. and this is also most interesting:

https://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/teacherzone/animal-research-essay-resources/animal-rights-activism-and-extremism

Animal rights activism and extremism

Lies lies lies. Naturally. Further evidenced by the picture library, where you see NOTHING of the horrors we know for a fact happen daily in labs – only think of HLS, in the UK.

https://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/resources/image-library

These images are aimed at the gullible public, to show that labs are full of nice people and happy animals.

So much for that …

(LPT Hamburg, Source: SOKO Tierschutz, Germany)