80+ dogs rescued in 'heartbreaking' conditions from organized dogfighting iin Florida: many dogs suffering from wounds, open sores, and underweight

More than 80 dogs and puppies are finally safe following a multi-property suspected dogfighting bust in Clay and Union counties, Florida, putting an end to the suffering these animals endured at the hands of a brutal and illegal industry.

Humane World for Animals assisted local authorities with the rescue at the request of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Union County Sheriff’s Office. Veterinarians from the University of Florida Veterinary Forensic Sciences Laboratory also provided critical on-scene support.

Search and seizure warrants were executed early in the morning of December 10 across three properties. What responders discovered was deeply disturbing. Many dogs were chained with heavy restraints, left with plastic barrels or makeshift structures as their only shelter. Others stood in their own feces inside filthy outdoor hutches and pens. On one Union County property, two young puppies were found whimpering alone, without their mother.

Across all three locations, responders observed dogs covered in scars consistent with dogfighting. Many were severely underweight and suffering from skin disease, open sores, and fresh wounds. One dog on the Clay County property was missing his foot; veterinarians determined he had suffered a traumatic amputation that had never been medically treated.

Investigators also uncovered clear signs of organized dogfighting, including treadmills and conditioning and breeding equipment on each property, tools used to force dogs into violent combat for human profit.

“Their scars tell a heartbreaking story—the sadness and suffering these dogs have endured is unimaginable,” said Kate MacFall, Florida state director for Humane World for Animals. “This is a complex, multi-agency collaboration, and we are grateful for the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and Union County Sheriff’s Office for investigating and bringing justice to these animals.”

“We take allegations of animal abuse or dogfighting very seriously, and we are grateful to the community members who stepped forward with information that set this investigation in motion,” said Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook. “We appreciate the USDA and its agents for their dedicated investigative efforts, and we extend our thanks to Humane World for Animals for their invaluable assistance.”

Dogfighting inflicts horrific and often fatal injuries, including deep puncture wounds, broken bones, severe bruising, and internal trauma. Many dogs do not die during the fight itself, but later from dehydration, infection, blood loss, exhaustion, or shock. These dogs are deliberately bred and conditioned for violence from birth, the start of a lifetime defined by cruelty.

Humane World for Animals has documented that organized dogfighting frequently overlaps with other serious crimes, including weapons offenses, gambling, drug trafficking, and violence. Dogfighting is a felony offense, punishable by up to five years in prison for operating fights or for possessing, training, selling, transporting, or breeding dogs for fighting.

This year alone, Humane World for Animals has assisted authorities in Florida, South Carolina, and Indiana with the rescue of nearly 200 dogs from 12 properties linked to suspected dogfighting operations.

Following this rescue, Furry Friends Humane is transporting the dogs to a secure, confidential location, where Humane World for Animals responders and volunteers will provide urgent medical care, nourishment, and comfort. RedRover Responders volunteers will also assist with daily care as the dogs begin their long road to recovery.

Thanks to swift action and collaboration, these dogs will no longer be forced to suffer for a sick and violent industry. World Animal News is grateful to everyone involved in this lifesaving rescue, including Humane World for Animals, RedRover Responders, Furry Friends Humane, and the Clay County and Union County Sheriff’s Offices, as well as the investigators and community members whose courage helped bring this cruelty to an end.

Safe Haven for Dokeys news: A huge number of families In Gaza are suffering in heavy rains and floods whilst brave vets care for sick, injured, animals

 

Dear Friends This week, I want to share an update sent by Dr Saif, from our team in Gaza, who have been working around the clock in some of the toughest conditions they’ve had to face due to recent floods. Thanks to your support, the team has been able to deliver first aid to hundreds of animals who would otherwise have no help at all. Since the ceasefire, they’ve finally been able to reach areas that were completely inaccessible before - places where animals have been waiting far too long for the care they need. I hope you can take a moment to read about the work you are helping to make possible - and all the donkeys being cared for with your ongoing support. Thank you so much, Wendy, Safe Haven UK Office  News from our team in Gaza On 8th November, we had to leave Gaza City and North Gaza. As the situation had worsened, we were forced to make the difficult decision to withdraw the team temporarily for their safety. We fully intend to return as soon as it is safe to do so, where animals continue to wait with patience. The team are inundated with donkeys like this one who need their help. The team moved into the central region, including Al-Sudaniah - an area that had been almost impossible to reach before the ceasefire. As soon as the roads opened, calls for help came from every direction. People asked for support, and animals stood waiting in pain. The team began treating them straightaway, providing first aid where it was needed most. Donkeys continue to be a vital part of everyday life in Gaza. 13th November: the team continued their work in Al-Sudaniah, running a major campaign to support the thousands of displaced families and animals sheltering there. Many donkeys and horses needed first aid, and a large number were in very poor health. But we’re glad to report that our follow-up checks show steady improvement in the animals we’ve treated. People are so grateful to know someone is looking out for them and their animals. But soon after, the heavy winter rains arrived - and with them, widespread flooding. Mohammed at work, trimming a donkey’s hoof. With regular care, some animals are now showing real signs of improvement. On 17th November, heavy rains swept through the area, washing away fragile homes and tents. Families were left exposed, with no safe way to move to higher ground. Once again, it was the donkeys and horses who stepped in - carrying people and belongings to safety where no vehicle could go. Because of your support, our team was able to help coordinate these rescue efforts and give urgent medical care to the animals helping to save lives. Heavy winter rains have made living conditions even harder in Gaza. Two days later, on 19th November, the team reached camps in the western areas of Rafah. Tens of thousands of displaced families are living there with almost nothing, and for many, their animals are their only remaining source of stability. That day alone, the team treated 31 animals, with 49 more waiting. People trave, injured animalslled from far away, some carrying sick animals in blankets because they had no other option. Our team will never turn away an animal in need. Flooding brings greater challenges to our team in Gaza, but they are dedicated to helping as many animals as possible. Later in November the floods returned again, creating even more need. And by 2nd December, the team had moved north-west of Khan Younis, near Deir Al-Balah, where huge numbers of families and animals are now staying. Calls for help are constant, and every day the team responds to a higher volume of emergency requests. The team work tirelessly to treat as many animals as possible - the need is relentless, and your support is absolutely vital. All of this work to help donkeys and horses has only been possible because of your support - especially from donors who are able to give regular gifts - which keep the team equipped and ready to reach the next animal in need. Thank you for helping to bring first aid to the donkeys, mules and horses in Gaza who rely on our team. Thank You  Everything we do is made possible by you. Your support is helping our team in Gaza reach animals in the hardest-hit areas, giving urgent first aid to donkeys, mules and horses who have nowhere else to turn. Your kindness also keeps our vet teams working across the West Bank and Egypt, and ensures the rescued donkeys in our sanctuaries receive the daily care they depend on. Thank you for bringing comfort and healing to these gentle animals. Donate today to help our vet teams We are the only charity funding a mobile vet team providing first aid to donkeys, mules and horses who need our help. If you'd like to read previous updates of our work, please click here to visit out blog. You can also view today's update online by clicking here.

Natalie Herron in Scotland sentenced for 2 years and 3 months prison for taking part in global monkey torture video's with unbelievable suffering of baby monkeys

 Woman in Scotland jailed in baby monkey torture case

https://actionforprimates.org/

Captive infant long-tailed macaque in Indonesia
Action for Primates

Natalie Herron in Scotland, has been sentenced to two years and three months at Airdrie Sheriff Court today for her part in a global monkey torture ring that paid for and ordered baby monkeys to be sadistically tortured and killed in Indonesia, to create videos to be circulated online.

The sentence has been welcomed by Action for Primates and Lady Freethinker, who have spent four years investigating the sadistic world of online monkey torture groups. The conviction is part of an international crackdown by law enforcement agencies in the UK and the USA against those people who facilitate the torture of baby monkeys. Several people in the UK and USA are already serving or have served prison sentences.

Herron was a member of the same monkey torture group as two women from England—Adriane Orme and Holly LeGresley—who were both sent to prison in November 2024 (https://www.westmercia.police.uk/news/west-mercia/news/2024/november/women-jailed-for-monkey-torture-offences/). The group was run by Michael Macartney, who called himself the "Torture King". Macartney is currently serving three years and four months in prison in the USA for conspiring to make and distribute "animal crush" videos. He ran several online Telegram groups that facilitated the torture, murder and sexually sadistic mutilation of baby long-tailed macaques as 'entertainment'. Several other members of the group are also serving time in US jails.

In the group on Telegram, Herron shared videos depicting the torture and abuse of baby monkeys, and enthusiastically discussed her enjoyment at watching horrific and disturbing videos in which monkeys suffered unimaginable agony and distress. These videos included placing an infant into a food blender; sealing an infant inside a jar with red ants; gouging out the eyes of an infant; and wrapping an infant tightly in sticky plaster in the shape of a ball, who was then kicked around. Examples of comments posted by Herron include:

• Or watch them be blitzed in blenders and scalped, dicks cut off, set alight. If only my family and friends knew they'd never look at me the same again lol.
• Torch its whole face off until it's just skull and melting skin haha.
• We finally got our ants in a jar. Phenomenal!
• Haven't you seen the video where they cellotape it into a ball? It's awesome.

Along with LeGresley, Herron was also involved in organising a poll amongst group members to suggest and then vote on which method of torture they wanted to see inflicted upon a monkey in the next video they were funding. The choices included sealing a monkey inside a jar with red ants, applying a painful substance to the wounds created by a cheese grater or gluing together various parts of a monkey's body.

Sarah Kite, co-founder and spokesperson for Action for Primates, stated: We welcome the sentence given to Herron and are extremely grateful to UK law enforcement for continuing to track down and bring to justice these sadistic and depraved people involved in online monkey torture groups. The perverted 'enjoyment' Herron and others obtained from facilitating and watching baby monkeys being abused and brutalised in the most sickening and horrifying ways shows a level of depravity that must never be tolerated.

Nina Jackel, Founder, Lady Freethinker, stated: The suffering endured by helpless, infant monkeys for online videos is heartbreaking, and the brutal nature of these acts is sickening. The perpetrators involved in the creation, funding, or sharing of animal torture content for human 'amusement' must be held accountable.

Members of these online torture groups are primarily active on platforms such as Telegram and get 'pleasure' from watching helpless and vulnerable infant monkeys in terror and pain, fighting for their lives. The extreme cruelty inflicted upon the baby monkeys included being set alight; having parts of their body cut off, including limbs, genitals, fingers and toes; their bones broken with a hammer; their heads squeezed in a clamp; beaten viciously; and having their eyes drilled out with a power tool.

The evidence obtained during the investigations by Action for Primates and Lady Freethinker has been given to various law enforcement agencies and spurred the BBC investigation and documentary about online monkey torture gangs—The Monkey Haters—which helped lead to the inclusion of animal cruelty in the UK Online Safety Act (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-65951188 and https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-65951188).

Disturbingly, many graphic and violent videos paid for by members in Telegram groups—depicting extreme violence and sexual abuse inflicted upon baby monkeys, including genital mutilation—have appeared on mainstream social media platforms such as Facebook.

https://actionforprimates.org/

Dr. Saif's message from Gaza a week a go, he is in charge of Safe Haven for Donkeys clinic : A link to his blog with images of suffering

 

https://www.safehaven4donkeys.org/gaza-2024/dr-saifs-blog-from-gaza/   Link to the blog and many photos

Dr Saif’s blog from Gaza

Dr Saif, who is in charge of our mobile first aid clinic in Gaza, regularly sends us messages about the conditions the team are experiencing as they struggle to treat as many donkeys, mules and horses (and other animals) as they can.

Extracts from some of these messages are below – please note that some of the text, videos and photos may be upsetting.

To read some of the messages sent by our supporters to Dr Saif, please click here – to send your own message of support, please e-mail info@safehaven4donkeys.org

 June 2025

Hi everyone, and good morning from the land where the sun rises over shattered glass and sets behind ashes-covered tents—where every breath we take is borrowed from the ruins of the past. A deep pain buried in my memories moves my fingers to write and write—like a heavy rain that finally breaks, letting everything inside me flow out without control. I write to you not merely with an update, but with a testimony carved in suffering and lit by courage. These are some images and videos of our relentless work. We miss you all, and while there is so much to say, words often tremble under the weight of what we carry. Still, I will try.

Every day in Gaza is a volume of lived agony and unyielding resilience—not fantasy, not fiction, but flesh-and-blood facts soaked in dust and heartbreak. Today, I want to speak of those whose cries are silent, whose suffering is often unseen: our beloved animals—especially the noble donkeys and equines, creatures of service now abandoned in suffering.

Let me first unveil to you the theatre of our daily battle—not the mission itself, but the war that begins before the mission starts. At 4 a.m., while the world elsewhere is still dreaming, we begin our hunt for water. No taps. No tanks. Just blistered feet, jerrycans, and a trail of sweat. We walk 1, 2, sometimes 5 kilometres just to fill a few litres of mercy—donated by kind souls across oceans. We haul these drops of life across burning sands to our tents—tents that neither shield us from Gaza’s blistering heat nor the piercing cold of night. Mere fabric, trembling beneath the sky, exposed to shrapnel, mosquitoes, and madness.

By 6 a.m., we begin our second mission: the battle for fire. We search for wood, bricks, scraps of war—anything to boil water or cook anything (if found). Then, without pause, begins the third act: our mission. At 8 a.m., fatigued but fierce, we make our way to the mobile animal clinic, answering desperate calls from animal owners whose companions lie dying of hunger and injury. We work until the afternoon sun collapses behind ruins. And then the fourth battle begins: the search for food. A slice of bread becomes a treasure. A cup of rice, a miracle. Meat, fruit, chocolate—these are dreams we can only eat in sleep. Yes, only in sleep or maybe one day in heaven!

When night comes, we collapse. Yes, we do!! Not into sleep—but into breathless silence. We sprawl across the bare ground, too exhausted to dream, our souls whispering only this: “Live one more day.”  And yet, we go on.

https://www.safehaven4donkeys.org/donate/

Video : Is your selfie worth their suffering? Tell your friends not to make selfies and a very special link to Born Free Magazine with a 5 year plan for a kinder world

Please enjoy  Born Free magazine full of wild life story's Summer 2025

https://www.bornfree.org.uk/resource/wild-life-summer-2025/?utm_campaign=Digi-Wild-Life-Summer-25&utm_medium=email&utm_source=EN&utm_content=Full-of-wild-news

Inside you'll discover: Our practical but ambitious five-year plan to make the world a kinder place Our six ‘superstars’, the iconic species we’ll focus on to maximise our impact An update on Blue, the cheetah cub you helped rescued last year in Ethiopia The latest news about new lion cubs, born in our charity’s heartland of Kenya But that’s just for starters. The mag is brimming with success stories, from pangolins to gorillas, hippos to leopards. AND find out how one of the world’s smallest species is helping save one of the largest! But, as you turn the pages, don’t forget all this good news is only possible because of incredible YOU. Thank you for caring for wildlife as much as we do! From your wild friends at Born Free

	Celia Nicholls Editor celia@bornfree.org.uk

Three Syrian brown bears were rescued after years of unimaginable suffering in filthy cages in Armenia: The rescue after a public tip-off took 12 hours

Confined to filthy cages and denied even the most basic care, the bears were discovered during an investigation by our partners, Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC) following a public tip-off. 

Aram, the male bear, has broken teeth and infected gums, according to IAR

This rescue was perhaps the most difficult one FPWC have carried out and took over 12 hours. The rescue involved a court-ordered confiscation, police intervention, and transport under heavy rain and darkness.

The male bear, Aram, was held captive for 12 years and repeatedly bred with Nairi, a female taken from the wild. Lola, their young daughter, was still imprisoned with them, while previous cubs had been taken and sold. 

This difficult rescue started when the team arrived at the property at 9 am, but the bear’s owner refused entry despite a legal order. After a prolonged standoff, they finally gained access as night fell and worked into the night to sedate and remove the bears from their appalling conditions.

Alan Knight OBE, President of International Animal Rescue, who was at the rescue, said: “These were some of the worst conditions I have ever seen. The stench, the filth, the sheer cruelty of locking these animals up in tiny cages and feeding them cola, it was absolutely horrific.”

Now safe at FPWC’s wildlife rescue centre in Urtsadzor the bears are receiving urgent veterinary care. Aram suffers from broken and infected teeth, likely caused by years of poor diet and neglect. All three are in quarantine and under close observation.

We are launching an urgent appeal to fund the ongoing care of these three bears and to help complete a new sanctuary where Aram, Nairi, Lola, and their previously rescued son Noah can live together safely. The cost of caring for one bear is over £7,500 per year. With three, the annual care alone exceeds £22,500, excluding the significant costs of the veterinary care and the cost of the rescue mission itself.

Thanks to two generous donors, all donations to the appeal will be matched, doubling every pound raised.

To donate and support the urgent care and future home for these bears, visit: Urgent Bear Family Rescue