Story By: Lee Bullen,Sub Editor: Joseph Golder,Agency: Asia Wire Report
Two animal rights groups have reported a pigeon owner to the cops after he reportedly hanged a white cat by the neck from a tree because it killed nine of his birds.
Indonesian NGOs Bali Animal Defender and Bali Cat Lovers both reported the man, identified as Dewa Candra, to the authorities after he posted a photo of the hanged cat on social media, sparking outrage in the Indonesian tourist island.
In the controversial post, Candra claimed the cat ate nine of his pigeons.
The two Bali-based animal rights groups said the Indonesian man violated the country’s animal abuse laws for killing the cat, which carry a maximum prison sentence of nine months for such offences, according to reports.
Junian Christina, the founder of Bali Cat Lovers, told local media: “As social beings, we should have an open mind and heart. It really does not have to be this way. Cats are living beings too. If they did not like it, they could have reported it to us to help out.
“We want this to act as a deterrent to certain people who have a habit of doing these kinds of things, not just to cats but also dogs. We cannot torture them like that.”
Two days after the incident was widely shared on social media, Candra’s father apologised on his son’s behalf and requested that the matter be resolved through a ‘kekeluargaan’, which roughly translates to “between family members” and refers to an Indonesian tradition of amicably coming to an agreement to avoid pressing charges for a crime.
Jovand Imanuel Calvary, who heads Bali Animal Defender, said: “He asked for this to be resolved in a kekeluargaan manner, but I can’t give a yes or no response yet.
“It depends on the mediation, whether we will proceed with the charges or otherwise, and I will leave it up to my attorney.”
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