The above photograph is one that animal welfare officers want the people of Bermuda to see.

It was taken yesterday after trash collectors stumbled on the grotesque corpse of a dead male Pitbull terrier, which had heartlessly been left at Pembroke Dump.

Government vet Dr. Jonathan Nisbett inspected the animal and said he believed the dog had probably been dumped at the weekend following an illegal dog fight.

The animal had suffered numerous untreated bite wounds to its chest, front legs and head, and may have been abandoned by its owner either prior to its death, or just after.

Police Animal Protection Officer Yvonne Ricca was called to the scene soon after 10 a.m. yesterday. She said: "People need to see this. They need to be aware that this is happening in Bermuda. A lot of people just don't believe it.

"We know dog fighting is taking place, we just need people to come forward and tell us about it when it is going on.

"This case is practically identical to the last one we had here a few months ago. It's very disheartening that this is going on. Without the help and information from the public, animals out there will continue to suffer. "We need people's help."

But the sickening sight awaiting the animal protection officers called to the scene yesterday is becoming all too common in Bermuda.

There have been a number of incidents this year where dogs have been dumped, or buried alive, with fighting wounds.

It is believed some owners enter their dogs into organised fights, and then leave them to die without any medical attention if they suffer too many injuries or prove to be a weak animal considered unworthy of expensive treatment.

In May, animal protection officers were called out to the same spot on Pembroke Marsh as yesterday, where a pit bull had been dumped in a black plastic bag. It, too, had wounds associated with dog fighting and had been in the water about three days.

Whether the same person, or group of people, was responsible for that incident and the latest one, has not been ruled out.

But an appeal has been made to the public for information in the hope that it will lead to the arrest and conviction of whoever was involved.

Dr. Nisbett said the latest victim was a dark red pit bull, aged about three-or four-years-old. It was of muscular build, had a large head, and was wearing a red nylon collar when it died.

It had been left in a small area of water on the marsh land, and was discovered by trash collectors on the site.

The dog wardens were called, who in turn called firefighters to help lift the dog out of the water with their equipment.

Head dog warden Jeffrey Benevides said he believed there were a number of similar cruelty cases occurring across the Island that were unknown because the dead animals had never been found.

And he said he believed that dog fighting was as big a problem as ever, however, only now it had gone underground.

But he said fights would continue to be held, and dogs would lose their lives, unless members of the public were prepared to speak out.

He said: "Dog fighting it going underground. From the amount of stray dogs I pick up, I would say it is becoming very popular again. It's a popular sport.

"This year alone, the dog wardens have pulled four dogs out of the water dead - they each had bite injuries. "We have found two at this spot, and then there was the dog buried alive (in St. Monica's Mission in March).

"We believe there are others being buried that we have not found. This is why we need people to help us. If they do not wish to call the Police, or to give their names, they can call Crime Stoppers and give information anonymously. They might get a cash reward."

Anyone with information about the latest incident, or any other incident of animal cruelty, should call Ms Ricca at Police headquarters on 295-0011, the dog wardens on 236-4201, or the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on 236-7333.