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28 March 2024

Serial dog killer stalks Al Ain streets

GRAPHIC WARNING: Please be careful when viewing pictures (SUPPLIED)

Published
By Majorie van Leijen

Five dogs were horrendously killed and dumped by a road side on Sunday in Al Ain. They were found strangled, with blood coming from their mouth, ears and eyes. And some of the dog’s eyes had popped out.

“It is the most disastrous case of animal cruelty I have seen so far,” said Margrit Muller, director of Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital.

The lady who found the dogs described it as a “traumatic experience.”

“It was a terrible morning for me. On Sunday morning, June 24, I received a call from a devastated lady that went for a morning walk in Zakhar. She had found these five strangled dogs on the pavement, on the main road between the Petrol Tanks and the ‘Ball Roundabout’ in Zakhar, Al Ain.

“When I went to see the dogs, I was shocked. I had never seen something like this before. The dogs were strangled with a tight rope. Blood was coming from their eyes, mouth and ears; and some of the dogs’ eyes had popped out. There was also a knife on the scene.”

The lady, who preferred to remain anonymous, took pictures of the dogs and went home, where she reported the case to the police. “The emergency unit of Abu Dhabi Municipality went to pick up the dogs. Fifteen minutes later they were gone.”

The dogs were stray dogs, seen roaming around in the construction area nearby. “I think they may have disturbed people. They may have been barking or begging for food.

“But what was done to these animals is absolutely horrendous. A vet who saw the pictures suggested that the rope must have been very tight for the eyes to pop out. I can only imagine the suffering that these dogs must have gone through.”

Abu Dhabi Police have opened a case and are investigating the case. However, the bodies of the killed dogs have mysteriously disappeared.

“After I had reported the case to the police, I was contacted by a driver from Abu Dhabi Municipality, who was on his way to pick up the dogs and needed directions. I directed him to the location. Then, he spoke some words in Arabic, clearly being horrified by what he saw, and the line was disconnected,” tells the lady.

“Because the dogs were gone when I returned to the location, I assume that they have been picked up by the driver. But when I filed the case with the police, this could not be confirmed with the emergency unit, and nobody knows where the dogs have gone to.”

“This is a horrible incident,” says Margrit. “We do see cases of animal cruelty. We sometimes receive animals with burns or bruises. But this, I have never seen before.

“The problem is that only a human being was able to do such a thing, but also that it was displayed in a public place. The view of these dogs could be a traumatic experience for any person, and for children in particular.”

According to Margrit, a case of animal cruelty of this extent is very alarming. “When a person is able to treat an animal in such a way, it tells something about the character of a person.

“A person like that may have a low self-esteem. He may feel superior to an animal, and feel powerful when torturing the animal. This person will very likely choose a weak animal, and feel that he is improving his ego while doing this.”

Although it is not clear to which breed the dogs belonged, the lady who found them suspects that one of the dogs could have been pregnant. Two others where young dogs, and there was a male.

“I believe that somebody is able to do this to animals might be a potential serial killer,” says the lady, who has not been able to eat or sleep properly after that Sunday morning. “It is very important that this issue is addressed.”