Argentina: Neighbors loot trucks with cattle and slaughter cows in the street

The images caused a stir and quickly went viral. The protagonists, a group of residents of the town of Bernal in Quilmes, try to contain the cow that they have just stolen from a cattle truck and that, minutes later, will be slaughtered by the thieves in the middle of the street, and before the eyes of those who circulate in the area.

The sequence, which was recorded and broadcast by the newspaper El Progreso, was repeated two more times and only a fourth animal could be rescued from the savage end, thanks to the intervention of an NGO dedicated to saving mistreated horses in the area of the the southern zone of the Buenos Aires suburbs.

In dialogue with La Nación, Karina Dotto, from the NGO Caballos Quilmes, which has been dedicated to rescuing horses for a decade in the south of Buenos Aires, told details about what happened and assured that these incidents began four months ago. In addition, she requested the intervention of the municipal and police authorities. The agency in charge of that area is the Bernal 5th police station.

“This happened on Wednesday, which is seen in the images, but it has been repeating itself for four months. Whether it's day, afternoon or night, there is a small group that takes advantage when the truck stops at the traffic light to open the cages or gates and two, three or four cows, calves or bulls come out. Once they escape, they grab them, hit them on the head with stones and then kill them and slaughter them in the middle of the street”, explained the rescuer.

The place that can be seen in the images is Pedemonte Avenue at its intersection with 187th Street, which is about five blocks from the slaughterhouse where the attacked trucks are heading.

“What happens is that those who drive the trucks and those at the slaughterhouse, since they have insurance for the animals, do not worry about avoiding theft and that they kill them, because in the end the animals are also going to die there. On the other hand, we are concerned about what is happening to them and we begin to intervene because the neighbors call us when the animals are in the street. They are wild”, added Dotto.

According to the woman, who has already rescued more than 700 horses in a decade, what can be observed is a lack of joint response. “When it happened the first time, we talked to the police and told them to contact the Municipality of Quilmes to rescue them. Obviously, the municipal State has nothing to do with this, it is not guilty. What we ask is that they get together with the slaughterhouse, with the police, and come up with a plan to stop this from happening."

“This little gang should be identified by now. We pay $50,000 for a transfer cage, but we have no experience with these types of animals. It is not the same as a horse. We have a horse shelter that currently houses 80 rescued horses, but it is not a place designed for cows and bulls,” explained Dotto.

Source: La Nación