Barntrup (dpa / lnw) - The public prosecutor's office is dealing with the case of three police officers who are said to have run over a seriously wounded cat with their patrol car in order to put them out of their suffering. According to the officials, a veterinarian could not be reached quickly, and a coupe shot was too dangerous, the police said on Wednesday. They would have ruled out moving the seriously injured animal, "so that the patrol car was used".
A local resident reported the police on suspicion of violating the Animal Welfare Act. A spokesman for the Detmold public prosecutor said that after the report was received, it would first be checked whether there was an initial suspicion. If so, an investigation would be launched. "One will decide whether and if so what to do," he said.
According to the police, the officers were called to the road in a rural area near Barntrup (Lippe district) early one morning at the end of August. That's where the seriously injured cat lay, which had apparently been hit by a vehicle. Apparently the animal could not be saved. However, given the early hour, a veterinarian could not be reached, whereupon the police officers decided to end the animal's suffering themselves.
Officials have such a case every few weeks, it is about wild animals, but also domestic animals, said a police spokesman. "No one likes doing that." As a rule, shots are fired, but this must be evaluated on site. In this case, according to the police officers involved, a shot was too dangerous because the cat was lying on hard ground and they feared ricochets.
