A herd of goats living on an island on a stretch of the Vistula river in Warsaw are sick and dying, and the remains of dead members of the herd had been dumped in the river, an animal rescue service said on Sunday (September 29).
The herd, part of a project supported by the city to maintain the island naturally, have not had access to veterinary care since the project started two years ago, said Dawid Fabjański from Animal Rescue Poland.
Fabjański said a homeless man who had been tasked with looking after the animals by their owner had been instructed to dispose of the bodies of dead goats by throwing them into the river or burying them.
Fabjański also said that the goats were not tagged which was a violation of rules for identifying animals and that Animal Rescue Poland would submit a complaint to the prosecutor's office.
The remains of seventeen goats were found on the island. Several of the surviving goats show signs of having internal parasites, a veterinarian interviewed by TVN said.
The goats were introduced to the island as a natural way of maintaining the vegetation there for birds to build their nests.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: tvnwarszawa.pl