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Women trade punches over neglected dog poo

Bergisch Gladbach in North Rhine-Westphalia, hometown of supermodel Heide Klum, was once linked in Germans' minds with the catwalk. But now it is just as infamous for a dog walk, after two women came to blows over a mound of pooch poo.

Published: 1 July 2015 12:02 CEST

Women trade punches over neglected dog poo

'This is not a dog toilet.' Photo: DPA

The fight broke out on Sunday evening when a dog belonging to a 32-year-old woman did its business in a local park, reports Die Welt.

A 33-year-old female passer-by, seeing the dog's owner walk on, demanded that she clean up her dog's mess, police reported.

When the woman refused a shouting match ensued. Before long the 33-year-old had thrown her keys at the dog owner and hit her on the head.

At this point a passing man managed to separate the two women.

But that wasn't the end of it. The dog owner returned a few minutes later with male reinforcements and once again things got violent.

By this point five people were involved in a full blown fist fight. One person was even using a club, police revealed on Monday.

According to town regulations in Bergisch Gladbach, not cleaning up dog poo can carry a fine of 30 euros.

The police are also investigating serious bodily harm due to evidence of serious wounds, swollen arms and ripped out hair as a result of the fight.

This is not the first time this year that enraged Germans have made headlines with an act of protest against dog poo.

In April, locals in Einbeck, Lower Saxony, gathered 250 kg of dogs' leavings from the town's parks and hung it round the neck of a famous local statue in protest against lazy owners.

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Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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