Animal guardian comes to the rescue, helps dog get back to his feet
Animal guardian comes to the rescue, helps dog get back to his feet
An intentional act of heartless driving saw a motorist running over an innocent dog leaving him seriously injured in Rio de Janeiro on Jan 20.
The dog was left disabled after being run over in the street before caring volunteers help it to walk again at the Governador Island.
Footage of the incident revealed how the motorist ran over the dog in full view before he or she decided to keep driving straight ahead.
“The impact of the case was immediate. People were moved by the recording of the dog being run over and started sharing the story and helping out financially,” said Ricardo Zeller who saw the video.
The person who retrieved the dog was animal guardian Newa Carvalho, who was contacted by a flight attendant, Ricardo Zeller.
Carvalho named the pooch Olivia, which was found to be around 10 years old. It underwent a number of surgical operations and managed to start walking unaided again eventually.
“Next week Olivia will undergo another operation to remove her chest tumors and to spay her,” said Zeller.
The pooch will also need to take antibiotics for cysts that showed up on a scan before having a further operation.
It is not reported if the driver was identified or faces charges. However, the team looking after Olivia is happy she is recovering well.
“The person who played the main part was the animal guardian, Newa. Without her, I don’t know what would have become of Olivia.”
As per Animal Protection Index, Brazil has a long tradition of incorporating animal protection in its legislation, since the main Decree relating to animal welfare dating back to 1934. Decree 24.645 establishes protection against cruelty and ill-treatment of animals. Environmental Crimes Law 9,605 of 1998 prohibits engaging in an act of abuse for domesticated or wild animals.
“In 2017, an amendment to the Constitution specified that some sports using animals, such as rodeos and vaquejadas, could be exempt from cruelty consideration if considered of cultural importance,” stated the report. “However, culture should never be an excuse for animal abuse. Furthermore, the use of animal testing for cosmetic products has not yet been banned.”
The worst forms of confinement, such as sow stalls, farrowing crates, and cages, are not prohibited in legislation, and halal slaughter is authorized without prior stunning. Brazil’s economy largely relies on its agricultural exports, and live animal exports are inherently cruel.
The National Council for the Control of Animal Experimentation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation oversees the use of animals in science and education.
(Edited by Saptak Datta and Vaibhav Vishwanath Pawar)
