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Unknown attackers rip heads off 40 chickens

A farmer in central Germany woke up on Sunday morning to the horrifying sight of 40 of his chickens with their heads ripped off by brute force.

Unknown attackers rip heads off 40 chickens
File photo: DPA

The attackers must have killed the helpless animals “with their bare hands,” farmer Michael Lüft from Seligenstadt, southeast of Frankfurt, said.

“You would need a certain amount of strength to do that.”

Whoever was behind the killings broke into the hen stalls by force.

Some of the birds had their heads completely torn off, while others had the skin and sinews torn from their bodies and pulled over their heads.

Police said that the violence of the act meant that witnesses must have seen or heard something.

“The animals must have been correspondingly terrified and caused noise,” a police spokesman in Offenbach said.

Officers believe that several perpetrators were behind the violence. The culprits also threw eggs against the walls and tipped over a number of barrels containing feed and water for the chickens.

Investigators are now calling for members of the public to come forward if they saw or heard anything.

PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

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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