There is an incredibly disturbing tweet on the Internet of dogs with large hooks through their lips and/or nose to which, we are told was connected a cable of some sort and the dog presumably placed in the sea and dragged behind a boat in order to attract sharks for the sharks to then be killed. The whole process sounds completely barbaric and the worst kind of human behaviour. But there’s lots of it about I have to report with great sadness. It seems that the world is not getting any better or more civilised. In fact, judging by the newspapers that I read daily there seems to be a gradual deterioration in human behaviour and the fragmentation of society.
The tweet is in French but it says: “FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW, A DOG IS USED AS BAIT FOR SHARK FISHING IN REUNION. NOT ONE COUNTRY TO REDEEM THE OTHER, THEY A HOOK HANGING ON THEIR SNOUT AND WE ABANDON THEM OR LET THEM STARVE TO DEATH😡😡😡😡😡😡”.
I can’t publish the image montage on this page because of advertisers’ objections but you can see it by clicking the link below:
Dogs used as shark bait. Warning: unpleasant photo
The Snopes website confirms that fishermen on Réunion employ live dogs as bait as stated in the tweet. Yes, they confirm exactly what I’ve stated but has it stopped? There are lots of posts on this on the Internet. One website professes to find the truth behind alleged fiction. They state that a National Geographic article published in October 19, 2005 stated that there were at least three cases of dogs being used for shark bait on this island which, you may remember, is under French control and lies of the east coast of the African continent. One of the dogs was rescued because it escaped the fishermen. A veterinarian removed the cork from its snout.
They report that a spokesperson for the French animal rights organisation Groupement de Réflexion et d’Action pour l’Animal (GRAAL) said:
“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.”
This website states that they bleed out the cats or dogs for at least a day. The Bridget Bardot Foundation has been fighting this for 12 years. I have written about Bridget Bardot’s fight for animal welfare. She’s a great woman. Apparently, in 2005 the government of Reunion responded by enacting a law prohibiting this practice.
A fisherman was subsequently prosecuted when they used a seven-month-old puppy as shark bait. It had three fishing hooks in its paws and snout. The prosecution was successful and he was fined €5000. Perhaps the law is not being enforced properly on the island. As it was passed in 2005 and as this is a recent tweet, I don’t know what’s going on.
You think it is exaggerated? It would be nice to have more hard evidence one way or the other.