Shocking claims of cruelty to animals

There were shocking claims of cruelty to animals in South Galway at this month’s municipal district meeting with reports of dead dogs being regularly dumped in a Galway County Council estate while thousands of swallow hatchlings had been reportedly smashed by young thugs.

Cllr Ivan Canning (FF) said he had spotted up to 25 black bags of rubbish left inside a gate of one of the houses in Killimor, Portumna, recently, and then saw a white van with a trailer pull up to collect them.

As he thought these were being illegally collected he approached the driver, who refused to speak to him.

“Two dead dogs were thrown in the rubbish while I was there. It’s next door to Killimor school. I was told ten dogs had been thrown on the school grounds recently – all dead. And it’s coming from these local authority houses,” he said.

Cllr Canning said he had spoken to a dog shelter in the village and every week they received phone calls to remove dead dogs.

“We’re a laughing stock as a Council. We’re tidying up the mess they leave every week. They haven’t the manners to put the bags in order. They’re all over the green area. The man collecting them had to walk all over to collect them. It’s a full eyesore in Killimor.”

The Portumna businessman who is a member of the famous Canning hurling family went on to say he had recently taken a video of illegal burning being carried out in a back garden.

“Who polices this? These are Council tenants.”

Cllr Michael Fahy (Ind) added he had been informed that last year “thousands and thousands of young hatched swallows” had been killed in the South Galway area.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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