About 10 sheeps were seized on Friday by police in the Brussels-Midi zone (Anderlecht, Saint-Gilles, Forest) in three raids conducted in connection with the Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Adha, according to the Help Animals association.
The Association had requested the intervention of the local police to prevent the illegal killing of animals for the festival.
For the first operation, in Anderlecht, a local resident alerted the police, who subsequently discovered the carcass of a dead sheep hanging with its legs tied alongside two other sheep, which were alive but had neither food nor water.
The second intervention was also conducted in response a complaint from a civilian. Police discovered sheep in the cellar of a building near the Midi train station. The carcass of one animal was at the entrance while many live ones were found inside. The Help Animals Association said the live sheep were surrounded by debris and clutter.
In the third case, a police checkpoint erected near a farm in Anderlecht enabled police officers to intercept a van, whose windows were covered with cardboard, taking sheep to be slaughtered in a building.
The animals confiscated by the police were taken to the Help Animals and Rêve d'Aby shelters. All were in a worrying state of health and needed care. Most were famished and dehydrated. They were also infested with parasites and many had extensive, oozing ear infections.
Help Animals said it wished to remind the public that killing animals at home, whether in connection with a religious festival or not, is strictly prohibited in Brussels Region. Animal slaughter may only be done in a certified abattoir, it stressed.
The Brussels Times
