In Spain, over 400 animals, mostly dogs and cats, were saved from a Spanish network of animal traffickers.
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On September 20th, the Barcelona Urban Police arrested 13 members involved in a gang, that specializes in illegally importing animals. Their main trade route was Spain to Middle Europe via Andorra, before selling them. The animals that were on sale, had fake legal papers with them, to prove they were healthy.
The crimes the gang members were accused of, and arrested for were animal abuse, money laundering, fraud, forged documents, and labor infringement.
There were many reports to the police about a pet shop in the city center, specifically the one they owned, for the poor living conditions. When the police searched the building, it contained around 33 sick dogs. Which led them to discover the illegal importing of animals. Now the dogs are receiving proper care from licensed vets
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Animals were mostly transported by cars, where they would be crammed in filthy spaces. The trip would be long and some trips could last over 2,000 kilometers.
This is one of the main reasons why the animals were so sick, the contagious infections and diseases spreading to other animals.
"That's not good."-8th Grader Iris Gomez
"The criminal organization included a veterinarian who provided her knowledge and signature in order to give an image of sufficient reliability with which to guarantee that the animals sold were in good condition," said the authorities in a statement.
Picture of one of the Dogs
"That's crazy"-8th Grader Lauren Talley
About the Contributor
Monica Mawi
Orbit Online- News Editor/ Animal Spotlight
Monicalian Mawi, an 8th IB major at Classen SAS. She’s been attending Classen ever since 5th grade. It is currently her first year in the Yearbook Committee and ORBIT, Outside of that, she likes to draw, listen to music, and bake.