2023-11-02 05:00:00
Physical attacks, death threats or even theft, animal shelters are experiencing increasingly frequent acts of violence. Many invest in security systems to protect their staff but also the animals they welcome. A situation that is often complicated to manage.
In March, there was a seizure of 60 mistreated animals in Antwerp. The furious owner violently attacked Françoise. “He grabbed me by the hair, slammed me against a vehicle, punched me a few times and squeezed my wrist really, really hard.“, she remembers. “I screamed and the police intervened.“
Result: one week of incapacity for work. But above all psychological after-effects.
Philippe, head of another shelter, explains that death threats are also frequent. “It’s not easy because sometimes it’s very hot“, he said. “When people come asking, it’s crazy. They are aggressive.“
It also has to deal with nighttime intrusions. Fences are climbed or torn down. “Thefts but abandonments too“, he says. “They throw the dogs to the other side of the gate. It goes in and out the same way: through the fence.“
Investments for security
A problematic situation in all shelters, so much so that some have had to invest in a surveillance system. “The threats were more and more numerous and we were really afraid of reprisals.“, explains Jean-Marc Montegnies, president of the non-profit organization Animals in Danger. “We have installed quite a few surveillance cameras at the front and inside.”
“Film the seizures, the reception of the shelter, the surroundings, and even the meadows“, says Gaëtan Sgualdino, president of the Walloon Union for Animal Protection. “Animals are sometimes targeted by acts of cruelty. It is a way to protect yourself and keep evidence to be able to file a complaint.“
At the La Louvière SPA, also faced with this problem, staff will receive training in a few months to learn how to best manage violence.
animal shelters violence
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