Meloni condemns ‘vile' killing of hero sniffer dog with nail-filled sausages
Bruno, a seven-year-old bloodhound, was once honoured by the Italian prime minister for helping to locate nine missing people.
But on Sunday the dog was found lying in a pool of blood at an animal training centre near the city of Taranto in Italy's southern Apulia region.
The animal died an agonising, hours-long death from internal bleeding, his trainer, Arcangelo Caressa, said as he vowed to track down the culprits.
In a Facebook post, Ms Meloni called the killing a 'vile, cowardly, unacceptable act.' She was pictured in 2022 bending down by Bruno's side as it lifted its nose to her face.
'Thank you for everything you did, Bruno,' she added.
Bruno had worked on missing persons cases across the region, leading to the recovery of nine missing people, some of whom were Alzheimer's patients who had wandered away from their home.
Family members of those he helped were among those sending messages of condolence.
'This morning I died alongside you,' Mr Caressa wrote on social media next to pictures of nail-filled bait found near Bruno's corpse. 'You fought your whole life to save humans and now it was a human who did this to you.'
'They will pay, I swear,' he added.
Prosecutors have opened an investigation and detectives are reviewing CCTV footage from the training centre in an attempt to identify those involved.
Potential motives include revenge by criminals whose activities Bruno helped to uncover while working with law enforcement.
'Boundless cruelty'
On July 1, a strict new animal cruelty law came into force in Italy which included sentences of up to four years in prison and €60,000 (£52,000) in fines for intentionally killing an animal with cruelty.
The law was named after Michela Vittoria Brambilla, the Italian centre-Right politician and animal rights activist, who pushed for its passage for nearly 20 years.
On Sunday, she urged authorities to apply the law with full effect in Bruno's case.
'A nail-filled bait gave a horrible, long and painful death from internal bleeding to he who had saved so many lives. At the thought of such boundless cruelty one should be ashamed of belonging to the human race,' she said.
A bloodhound's sense of smell is estimated to be around 1,000 times stronger than a human's and can lock a human scent in its nose, and trail a hunt, for long afterwards.
Besides search-and-rescue operations, Mr Caressa revealed that Bruno had also recently been on missions involving animal abuse and illegal dog-fighting gangs.
Messages of condolence have poured into the National Dog Training Centre near Taranto, while Piero Bitetti, the city's mayor, called for the quick identification of the culprits.
He said: 'Together we must give a strong signal: we will not permit Taranto to be identified with such barbaric acts. Our community deserves to be seen for what it truly is: united, respectful and civil.'
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The Sun
12 minutes ago
- The Sun
Two killed including school cook, 62, after eating poisonous guacamole as 2 children recover in hospital
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Inside the 'dark side' of tourist destination where a British woman was forced to pay thousands to rescue animals from 'death camp for dogs'
A British woman who decided to fundraise for an animal shelter in Egypt was forced to step in when she found out it was in fact what she's dubbeed a 'death camp for dogs'. Former military woman Claire Steele was then brought into the 'dark side' of the north African nation, where dogs endure the most horrific conditions at the hands of people. They are raped, attacked and shot - with locals who cannot understand people would want to help the animals. Claire had to throw food over the walls of the shelter just to try and feed the dogs, before paying thousands to rescue them herself. She said the trauma of witnessing the treatment to dogs in Egypt is even worse than her time in the military. It comes in a country which still remains a popular tourist destination for Brits, in a side that they do not often see. Claire became involved with a local charity when she was in Egypt with the British army. She said the charity was run by a man called Rami who owned a shelter for dogs called Paws Crossed. Claire moved back to Wiltshire and began to help him out with fundraising. However, Claire said she was soon 'let down', saying there are a 'lot of dishonest people' in animal welfare in Egypt She said: 'I offered to try and get some dogs out of there and get them re-homed. 'So I did that in 2018, and I took 8 dogs out of there and got them re-homed in the UK. 'And then in 2019, he abandoned his shelter. Basically just left like maybe 100 dogs there, starving to death. 'Yeah, he just. He just didn't turn up one day, I think he moved away somewhere, but he just left the dogs and he didn't put anything in place for them.' Claire, with the help of another friend in Egypt attempted to step in to try and help the dogs in the shelter. However, they discovered that what she believed had been a sanctuary, was more like a 'death camp' for the dogs. The dogs have all been rescued from owners who abused them or brought in from the streets She said: 'There was no food and the dogs were starving. 'It was awful. Dogs were really badly injured in that in that shelter, and they didn't get any support, no veterinary support, as you can imagine. 'It was really terrible. 'I used to call it like a death camp for dogs. It was like a concentration camp. 'it was horrendous. We had dogs with limbs hanging off and puppies being born, dogs that were all breeding in there.' Claire and her friend Sanaa attempted to take over the rescue, but were refused entry by the landlord. It transpired that Rami had been running the shelter as a tenant and Claire was told that he had built up debt with his landlord before he fled. Claire was faced with a decision whether to pay Rami's debts in order to try and rescue the dogs. She said: 'It was a really painful process just to get food in. The landlord wouldn't let anyone enter the land. We were having to throw food over the walls to feed the dogs. 'I ended up paying off all the debt so that we could get the dogs out. About £5,000. 'I managed to fundraise some of it and then pay the rest myself.' After rescuing the dogs from the shelter, Claire and her friend Sanaa decided to set up their own sanctuary to give the dogs a real safe home to live in. After seeing the horrors the animals had endured, they named in 'Paws Crossed Survivors'. Initially, the sanctuary was set up to help re-home the dogs and managed to give more than a hundred animals new homes in the UK, Canada and Austria. However logistical challenges mean the pair have stopped re-homing the dogs and are now focused on ensuring they have a safe home in Egypt. Claire said: 'We call it a sanctuary now because we don't focus on re-homing dogs anymore in the UK or abroad or anywhere else. 'We realised that it is difficult to re-home dogs which have been traumatised or abused by humans, it takes a special kind of owner for that and not just anyone can take these dogs.' Claire said the atrocities she has seen towards the animals in Egypt have traumatised her more than any of her experiences in the military. She said: 'We found dogs that have been hog tied there is a lot of rape, a lot of bestiality. 'I rescued a dog once that was giving birth under a car, and as the dog was giving birth I saw children crawling under the car and taking the puppies, and smashing them on the ground as tools, killing them. 'I've seen kids take puppies off the streets and take them to the market to be slaughtered for food. 'I've seen people tie dogs to trees and then shoot them. 'I've got a dog that I'm re-homing at the moment called Life. She was tied up and shot over 30 times with an air rifle. Miraculously she is still alive now. 'I think, the rate the bestiality things becoming a big issue. Claire said the atrocities she has seen towards the animals in Egypt have traumatised her more than any of her experiences in the military The pair are now trying to help some of the street dogs who roam wild in the towns and villages 'I've seen dogs being dragged through the streets with the owners having machetes sort of hacking at them. 'We've taken in some really bad cases. It's just this sick minded mentality.' Claire said she has also experienced threats and break-ins while in Egypt. 'Last time I was there we had a home invasion. 'A van full of men turned up with guns and knives and threatened us. 'They went through the whole shelter. We don't know what they were looking for, what they wanted, but they just terrorized us for about six hours. 'We had visitors from Canada there, too, that were visiting the sanctuary. So that was pretty scary for them. 'It is just a really dangerous country. Especially for British and western women.' With so many stray dogs in desperate need of care, the demand has become too great for Claire and Sanaa to take them all in. They have begun a Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) program to spay and neuter the dogs that live in the area. Dogs from the local area are taken into their onsite clinic, given medications and vaccinations to allow them to be safer when they return to the streets. Egypt is a popular tourist destination for Brits and Claire believes that away from the resorts, is Egypt's 'dark side'. Her sanctuary is just an hour away from Giza, home to the world famous Pyramids which attract thousands of visitors from all over the world each year. She said: 'We have visitors come to the sanctuary to come and visit us and stay with us. 'They come when they've come on holiday to Egypt and then come visit us. 'But they're absolutely appalled and quite traumatized actually. They always say to me, I'm never going back to Egypt. I don't know how you can go there. I don't know how you can work there. 'We have done spay programs sort of around Giza and I have countless tourists contact us to say, 'I found this dog that's been run over', or 'this dog that's been abused', or 'this dog that's starving. Can you help?' 'They will send us an email saying that befriended this dog and there anything that you can do? 'So the general public visiting Egypt are just appalled by it. 'There are no rescue centres, the is no RSPCA here that people can take a dog to and actually, local people think you're insane for helping a dog. 'We get abused all the time. We have a project called Street Paws and it's a feeding program. 'We have kibble, we call it our Kibble Fund, and we go out to feed stray dogs. 'We have our areas that we go to for food drops and we get so much abuse from people for doing that. 'They say 'why are you feeding the dogs, what about us?' And they take the food. They steal the food for themselves. 'I call it like the dark side. It's what tourists don't see. 'People that go to resorts and stay in the resorts in Egypt, and don't go out anywhere else. They say, 'Oh, Egypt's beautiful' and it's because they stayed in this amazing hotel. It's because the workers go out and literally poison any dogs in that vicinity. 'It's dark, it's dirty, it's beyond cruel. It's despicable. 'Unthinkable things happening to animals just behind that resort or a few miles away from that place. It is really dark.' Claire is just one volunteer working in Egypt to try and save dogs and raise awareness about the treatment of animals. Georgia Tesfaye, 30, has started rescuing dogs from Egypt after hearing gruesome stories of abuse, forced amputations and even rapes of animals in the country. After working with dogs from a young age, Georgia said working to help rescue dogs from Egypt gave her life a 'purpose' and set up her charity Four Paws One Heart in 2024. She previously told The Mail the abuse faced by animals in Egypt is 'surreal', with hundreds in need of rescuing. Georgia claims she has seen dogs that have been hit by cars, poisoned, beaten, thrown form buildings, being hung, raped, used for dog fighting and being electrocuted. She said: 'Every worse possible way to hurt an animal is done and it is very real. It is heartbreaking.' In one horrific example, she rescued a Golden Retriever called Hope which they believed had been raped. She said: 'Hope was lifeless and she had been thrown on the street, it appeared she had been raped by a human. 'She had an infection of her uterus as well as sepsis and her organs were all failing. 'Hope was in a critical condition for a very long time. 'Unfortunately we have seen that this is a common occurrence for the animals here. The day after finding Hope, Georgia found another Golden Retriever called Daisy in the exact same location. 'She was lifeless, with the same injuries and completely soul broken,' she added. 'Her injuries and organ failure were so severe that she had to be put down. 'It was absolutely heartbreaking. 'A week later there was reports of a cat being seen raped by a man, in the street, in the same location we found Hope and Daisy.' Hope has been lucky. She had overcome her illness and has started to recover from the mental abuse she faced. Georgia described her as a 'miracle'. The 10-year-old is now ready to be adopted and find a family who look after her. There are estimated to be around 15 million stray dogs in Egypt. Traditionally in Egypt dogs have been considered an unclean animal that should not be owned for companionship, which can often lead to their poor treatment. In another heartbreaking case, a Malinois called Rocky has his leg cut off by his owners who refused veterinary treatment. She found that Rocky had injuries from being attacked, include a bit wound which had left him without one of his ears. He was also missing part of his front leg when he was found. Georgia said: 'We believe he had been used as bait for a very long time. 'However the most horrific part is that his front leg had been cut off with a machete 'The bone was protruding out and its clear he had been this way for some days. 'We believe his leg was injured from a fight, and instead of seeking veterinary treatment they cut his leg off, as this is a common occurrence. Despite what Rocky faced, Georgia described the dog as the 'most loving, trusting, affectionate sweet boy'. She added: 'He absolutely adores us, he really trusts us. Hope is now ready to be adopted and find a family who look look after her Pictured: Hope and Georgia Read More Three MILLION street dogs to be killed in Morocco ahead of the FIFA World Cup in a 'brutal clean-up' 'He has so much love to give and it would be a dream if he found a family of his own. 'We have been very luckily offered a prosthetic leg to be made for free for him in the UK in Norfolk. So we are desperate for him to find a foster or adopter in the Norfolk area so that his leg can be made. And his new life can begin forgetting his horrid past.' Still in its early stages, her charity is currently only able to rescue one dog at a time, due to the cost of veterinary care for each one which comes into her ownership. She added: 'We wish to rescue every single animal from the market, and if we could, we really would. 'But we just wouldn't be able to afford all their care, or have anywhere to put the 100s of dogs. Its so cruel, and our soul and heart rips to shreds every time we have to leave the others behind.'
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
What caused the Bayesian to sink? How tragedy that killed seven people unfolded in just 16 minutes
A year has passed since a British superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily in 16 minutes, killing seven people including tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah. The 56-metre (184ft) Bayesian sank off the coast of the Italian island on 19 August, 2024. The boat's manufacturers, Italian prosecutors, British marine investigators and survivors have all made different claims about why the boat sank so suddenly. The boat's captain and two crew members are currently under investigation for manslaughter. The Independent looks at everything we know about the incident and how the boat may have sank. What do we know about the incident? The Bayesian sank off the coast of the Sicilian capital of Palermo in Italy in the early hours of 19 August last year, after it was hit by unexpected extreme weather. It took just 16 minutes to sink. There were 22 people on board and seven were killed, including Mr Lynch and his teenage daughter Hannah. A coastguard official in Palermo said at the time that bad weather had been expected but not of the magnitude witnessed. Winds of up to 90mph were recorded on the day. Subsequent investigations have identified that the boat was hit by a mesocyclone, which is a type of powerful rotating thunderstorm that can produce tornadoes or extreme wind bursts. Inquest proceedings in the UK are looking at the deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter, as well as Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, who were all British nationals. Why did the Bayesian sink? Sicilian prosecutors opened an inquiry into suspected manslaughter and have placed the captain James Cutfield, from New Zealand, and two British crew members, Tim Parker Eaton and Matthew Griffiths, under investigation. Experts have claimed that hatches and doors were left open overnight by the crew, causing the boat to sink. An interim report released by Italian coastguards sought to blame Mr Cutfield and the crew for the sinking. A spokesperson for the family of Recaldo Thomas, a cook on the yacht who also died, accused the crew of making 'questionable decisions' when the wife of Mr Lynch, Angela Bacares, was up on the deck. But in a statement released ahead of the first anniversary of the disaster, Ms Bacares said she had always felt 'reassured' by the crew during bad weather. An interim report by the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) also found that the vessel's design, particularly its raised centreboard and high mast, could also be responsible for the tragedy. The MAIB report suggested the structure may have compromised the boat's stability in 'motoring mode,' vulnerabilities that were not included in the yacht 's stability manual. The report challenged claims made by yacht builder The Italian Sea Group, which found that the Bayesian would capsize at a 70.6-degree heel, contrary to the builder's assertion it could recover from 73 degrees. While TISG said 80-knot winds would tilt the yacht only 28 degrees, investigators found that winds exceeding 63 knots were enough to knock it over. Giovanni Costantino, the Chief of TISG, has described the yacht as 'unsinkable' and claimed the crew must have left doors or hatches open, allowing water in. How investigators rescued the boat The Bayesian was recovered as part of a multimillion pound rescue operation which saw about 70 specialist personnel mobilised to Porticello from across Europe. The recovery mission concluded after the 56-metre (184ft) hull and 72-metre (236ft) mast, as well as deck furniture and other loose items, had been delivered to Italian authorities in Termini Imerese in Palermo, Sicily. The hull was recovered on 21 June and transported around 12 miles to Termini Imerese the next day by one of the most powerful floating sea cranes in Europe. On 23 June it was then lifted into heavy steel supports on the quayside, which had tarpaulin underneath to prevent pollution. The cradle was custom-designed to fit the shape of the hull and built in the Netherlands. The mast had been detached from the hull for the recovery and was on the seabed. It was salvaged using inflatable lifting balloons and delivered to port on 25 June, along with the loose items that may have moved away from the vessel during past 10 months. Remote-controlled submersible equipment was used to locate the debris in the vicinity of the Bayesian site. The vessel was originally expected to be raised in May but efforts were stifled first by difficult weather conditions and later by the death of a Dutch diver helping with the rescue mission. The Bayesian's insurer, British Marine, tasked the London-based marine consultancy group TMC Marine with raising the yacht. Investigators in the UK and Italy said raising the vessel was crucial to fully understanding what happened.
