An animal welfare officer — a star of the RTÉ TV series Animal Rescue — revealed yesterday how she had to quit her job after receiving threats and verbal abuse from Travellers.

SIX dogs were stolen from an animal sanctuary and office equipment and windows were broken in a weekend raid which has baffled and angered animal welfare staff.

An investigation is underway in Galway into how a colony of adult and baby bats was totally wiped out during a fire in recent days.