Police are investigating an alleged incident involving a huntsman tossing the body of a pet cat over a fence after it had been savaged to death by a pack of hounds.
Footage captured the moment the dogs could be seen attacking the cat called Mini by some houses on an estate in Madron in West Cornwall on Saturday.
In the video, the huntsman can be seen picking up the body of Mini, a black rescue cat, and throwing it over the fence of one of the neighbours’ gardens.
The black cat had been in her front garden in a usually quiet street when she was mauled the pack of hounds while they were out on some sort of hunting exercise.
Mini’s owner Carly Jose, who was at home with her children at the time, was left “heartbroken”.
Another neighbour helped recover Mini’s body and police were called to the scene.
A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “No arrests have been made but enquiries are ongoing”.
Carly described Mini as “a gorgeous little thing” who had been through a lot in her life, already having already survived Meningitis.
Recalling the distressing event, she said: “The huntsmen had run off and so we ran into our back gardens – he into his, me into mine and we met in the middle.
“He asked me which of my cats had been out and I told him ‘Mini. Mini’s out. I let her out the front.’”
Carly called the behaviour of the man in the video “evil” and said: “I want justice for Mini. There needs to be a turning point. Things like this cannot happen.
“I don’t want another family to go through what we’ve gone through.”
A spokesperson from the Western Hunt, said: “The Hunt is aware of events that took place on Saturday 6th March, while the hounds were being exercised in an area where they are taken routinely, without incident, by officials of the hunt.”
The hunt has been in contact with the cat owner to apologise unreservedly for the distress this has caused and is also helping the police with their enquiries.
“Incidents of this nature involving hounds are incredibly rare due to the professionalism with which the hounds are managed, however the hunt has taken this matter very seriously and is reviewing their procedures to prevent any reoccurrence.”
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Source: ITV News
