Irish Examiner view: Cruelty is more widespread than we think

Animal cruelty

A dozen dogs seized from an alleged puppy farm in Co Louth last year.

Readers were no doubt horrified to read this week that 20 donkeys, one of which was already dead, had been found abandoned in a field in south Galway.

A Donkey Sanctuary Ireland representative said the donkeys had been abandoned for some time, and four more had to be euthanised when they were discovered. The organisation added that the case was a “watershed moment” due to the scale of neglect of the animals and the limited options available to animal welfare organisations.