Ebola victim’s dog put down despite animal rights groups’ protests

Two animal rights protestors were injured outside the apartment of the Spanish nursing assistant with Ebola on Wednesday, during scuffles with authorities who were attempting to remove the woman’s dog to have it put down. The two were trying to stop a van in which the animal was being transported, and were run over by the vehicle. One ended up with a head injury, and had to be attended to by medical teams on the scene.

The police also charged against 50 or so demonstrators who were protesting against the imminent destruction of the animal, who had been left at home by Teresa Romero and her husband, both of whom are in isolation in Madrid’s Carlos III hospital.

According to Madrid health chief Javier Rodríguez, the dog was put down before it was removed from the house. “Unfortunately there was no other option,” he said. The animal will be incinerated in the Madrid town Paracuellos del Jarama.

The fate of the dog, who was named Excalibur, sparked huge interest on the social networks, after the Ebola victim’s husband, Javier Limón, sent out a message from his hospital bed on Tuesday via animal protection groups calling for the animal to be saved.

Additional reporting by José Marcos.