Sorry for the link in Portuguese and sorry for putting this in geopolitics - but I had to share it for obvious reasons… Translation of title and subtitle:
“Someone is kidnapping cats in Barreiro and no one knows why. Hundreds have already disappeared.
Carers report that hundreds of animals have disappeared since May. Those who take the felines use nets to catch them.” (Barreiro is a city on the south bank of Lisbon)
“Caretakers report that hundreds of animals have disappeared since May. Those who take the felines use nets to hunt them.
Carers of cat colonies in Barreiro, Setúbal district, reported this Tuesday the kidnapping of hundreds of those felines by one or more groups of unidentified citizens.
According to animal caretaker Anabela Oliveira, who revealed to the Lusa news agency today, the cat kidnappings, some witnessed by caretakers, have been carried out by one or more groups of citizens, who, armed with nets, have made several captures that have already drastically reduced the number of felines in several colonies in Barreiro.
“What is happening is that, near some cat colonies, a van with three or four people has started to appear who captures some felines with a net and then takes them to who knows where”, said Anabela Oliveira, assuring that, since last May, hundreds of cats have disappeared from the colonies. “There are colonies that had more than 60 cats and now have 30, others that had 20 and now only have six or seven”, she stressed.
Anabela Oliveira assured that there were witnesses to several of these cat abductions, but that none of these witnesses had yet managed to note down the license plate of the vehicle, or vehicles involved, to report to the competent authorities.
Contacted by Lusa, a source from Barreiro City Council said that the municipality became aware of the alleged cat abductions through various groups on a social network and through the contact of a carer through the animal adoption line.
Barreiro City Council promises to report these cases of alleged animal abductions to the PSP and reminds that it does not have investigative powers.
On the other hand, the Barreiro municipality appeals to the carers who have direct knowledge of these cases to report them to the authorities themselves.”