FIVE dogs and six cats died in a compound in Barangay Cabancalan, Mandaue City, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, after allegedly consuming raw meat suspected to be mixed with rat poison.
Authorities have yet to identify the perpetrator, but one of the owners of the slain dogs believes it could be one of the tenants of the compound who might have been annoyed by the animals’ noise.
Princess Val Durado, who claimed to be the owner of one of the dogs that died, took to social media her disappointment and called for justice for the slain dogs and cats.
Her Facebook post on Dec. 3, which has been shared about 200 times as of writing, showed videos of her trying to revive the dogs as they were losing strength. The post also included photos of the dogs when they were still alive and the security camera footage of a man believed to be a suspect taking out poisoned meat from their neighbor’s trash the morning after the incident.
Durado said her dog Benji was one of the victims of what she believed was a case of poisoning. She said they had let Benji roam outside their house after dinner as part of his routine but the dog returned sick.
She said the compound is surrounded by dogs, and almost everyone in each household has dogs.
“One of the tenants apparently hates the dogs for whatever reason and decided to intentionally kill them with rat poison,” she said, noting that it was not the first time that poisoning of the dogs happened in their compound, with their other dog, named Pyro, falling victim to poisoning last year.
She said the dogs provide the compound with additional protection.
Captured by security camera
In the social media post, the security camera footage of the suspected neighbor was shown. The neighbor was seen taking raw meat from a container and scattering it in the area.
“Hopefully, we get justice for all the dogs and cats that were poisoned by this man,” said Durado, who have already reported the incident to the police.
Social media users reacted negatively to the incident, expressing their outrage.
Animal cruelty is prohibited by law. The ninth section of Republic Act 10631, or the Philippine Animal Welfare Act of 2013, states that “any person who subjects any animal to cruelty, maltreatment, or neglect shall, upon conviction by final judgment, be punished by imprisonment and/or fine.”
Last January, around 50 stray and pet dogs and cats were killed in a mass poisoning inside a private subdivision in Barangay Inoburan, City of Naga, in southern Cebu.
The stray animals reportedly consumed food soaked in Racumin, a type of poison used to eliminate rats and mice, which had been scattered on the roads of the village.