Italian news from Chinese Street: A recent arrest by Italian police of a large group of pet dogs smuggling gangs, many of whose members were veterinarians brutally cut off their ears and tails in order to sell their dogs at high prices.
Police in the central Italian city of Ancona have now captured 40 gang members, including 29 dog vendors and 11 veterinarians.
According to the evidence obtained by the police, from 2017 to 2019, the vets, in order to make a profit, performed short-term ear and tail amputations on at least 52 pet pups, including bit bulldogs, Corsica dogs and Argentine Togolese dogs. Under the European Convention for the Protection of Animals, which entered into force in Italy in 2010, any amputation of a pet for aesthetic purposes is an offence.
These veterinarians collaborate with dog traffickers, forge dog health certificates, quarantine certificates, customs passports and the like, and export them to other countries in search of buyers. According to the entry and exit data, this canine export was detected at least 34 times and the United States was the most popular destination.
In order to cut the tails of his ears for sale, Italy caught a big dog smuggler.
The Ancona police indicated that the vets would receive Euro200 for every short check-up of a baby dog.
"It makes the dog look more aggressive and attracts foreign buyers."
On Thursday, 3 June, the Italian agricultural association Coldiretti followed up with a statement that the epidemic had led to a red fire in the dog trading market, which had reached 300 million euros in size, in the heart of the population seeking company.
According to data from the Agricultural Institute, at least 3.5 million Italians purchased illegally imported or ill-treated pet dogs as partners during the epidemic.
At present, these dog vendors and veterinarians have been indicted by the prosecution for abuse and smuggling of animals and face 18 months of imprisonment. If the offence of abuse of authority is also approved, the sentence of the gang member will be extended to three years.