-- came into our veterinary hospital to appeal for professional help to be given to an abused animal. These young men acted responsibly and with compassion and deserve praise.

Two members of our nursing staff, both women, without hesitation or protest responded to my request and drove immediately to an area known as Kings Court in Pembroke. Once there, they found a mutilated dog, still barely alive strung up by his collar and bleeding profusely. They released him and brought him back for immediate care. These two women are wonderful.

The victim, a poor gentle red Pit Bull was known to us. He was a neutered male, with soft ears and had never been used for fighting. At some time during the early hours of the morning he had been subjected to the most indescribably brutal torture: his left eye had been stabbed through, his right hock had been severed through to the bone, an unsuccessful attempt had been made to slit his throat, his back and the dome of his head had received large slicing and stabbing wounds.

The blade used to inflict these wounds measured at least four and a half centimetres in width, and can only have been expressly ultra-sharpened for the purpose. These type of wounds cannot be inflicted with kitchen utensils; enormous force must have been applied.

This was not the act of a single individual. It would almost certainly require at least one very powerful (person), and probably more than one individual to restrain the animal sufficiently, even though he was tied, to allow what can be best described as targeted injuries to be inflicted.

This was highly likely to have been a group activity , and in my personal opinion was either an act of revenge or an act of warning to the person who was known to care for the animal. It is even possible that this individual was forced to witness this repulsive and cruel and savage act.

Since this dog was not brought to our hospital by the owner, I am not bound by client/vet confidentiality rules. This animal is now the property of the SPCA.

We have never at our hospital been forced to deal with a worse act of human depravity. This animal mutilation will have caused considerable noise in the neighbourhood, and the cries of the poor creature must have been audible.

There must be witnesses.

Anyone who knows the identity of the individuals who did this, and remains silent, is equally culpable. I implore anyone with information to contact the inspector of the SPCA.

Personally, I will see that there is a reward of $5,000 for anyone who can give information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

If this is the New Bermuda, I want no part in it.

Dr. A.M. WARE-CIETERS