2023-09-23 15:00:00
A sick, weakened, prostrate animal. This is what the last photo taken by Justine, 34, shows, a few hours before the death of her goat. The least we can say is that the owner was far from expecting such a disastrous outcome, three weeks earlier, when she acquired this animal on the Soignies market.
Thor when the Sonegians took him in. -DR
This is how the young woman goes to the Soignies market to acquire a goat. There, Justine immediately fell in love with a handsome male with a white and red coat. She decides to take him home and name him Thor. “I fell madly in love with this goat. He had the face of an angel. We called him Thor because he was beautiful like the god of thunder,” confides the Sonegienne.
But that same evening, when he returned from work, his partner found that the animal seemed weakened. “He tells me: he doesn’t look well. He feels like he doesn’t look in good shape…”
The couple then called the veterinarian. The latter administers a dewormer. He will return five days later to give the animal medicine against diarrhea. But the goat is not getting back on track.
The more the days pass, the more weakened he appears, despite the care provided by his owners. A few days later, it’s the end. “As the hours went by, we could see that he was getting worse and worse. We called the vet again, who came at 9 p.m. He tried everything to save him but it was very quickly. He had to be fed with a syringe. We put a blanket on his back to keep him warm. We did our best for him, as we would have done with all our other animals. He cried and bellowed for a while, before leaving in my arms. It was a shock…”
Published on Tuesday September 5, 2023 at 4:07 p.m.
Taking a closer look at the Walloon animal welfare code, we note that it is strictly forbidden to sell dogs and cats in municipal markets, but not really for other animals, unless otherwise advised by the government.
“If the Walloon code ever formally prohibited it, we would have to align ourselves, but it is not on the agenda in La Louvière,” confirms Nancy Castillo (Ecolo), alderman for Animal Welfare. “This merchant is one of the few who keeps the market at La Louvière alive on Mondays, and we cannot really say that there is a crowd at this market likely to stress the animals like in Liège. “. She adds: “We are not talking here about pets, but about farmyards living outdoors, less subject to impulsive and unconsidered purchasing. They also play a role in feeding people, but also in recycling their household waste (chickens). Even in the town center of La Louvière, we keep this country side and it is not uncommon to hear chickens, goats and geese in the gardens. This merchant retains his usefulness.”
Nancy Castillo is not considering such a ban. -David Claes
Same story on the side of Soignies, where alderman Louis-Phillippe Borremans (MR) does not envisage such a ban either: “At each visit, Mr. Vanneste is subject to strict veterinary checks which check the condition animals and the way they are treated. The reports have always been positive for this merchant who has a public utility, particularly in terms of waste recycling…”
Louis-Philippe Borremans believes that these merchants have a public utility.
This Tuesday, the thirty-somethings went to the Soignies market to demand accountability from the sellers. “I explained the situation and asked for a refund but they did not take responsibility at all. They said the animal was in great shape. The person then offered me a goat at half price. It’s a bit strong! I had become very attached to this goat. My 12-year-old son saw him dying,” explains the Sonégienne.
Read also Ban the sale of farmyard animals on the markets in La Louvière, Binche and Soignies? “Ridiculous, you don’t buy a goat or a chicken impulsively!”
Ultimately, if the acquisition of the animal cost them 75 euros, the couple will have spent three to four times more on veterinary costs. A misadventure that makes you think. “We really need to ban the sale of animals in markets because there is no monitoring. The animals are not treated well, they spend hours in their cage in the sun, we do not know their age, nor if they have been dewormed. Furthermore, I was not even asked if I had a license. There’s nothing like a real breeder,” she concludes.
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#left #arms #shock