Man arrested for killing cow using 30cm knife and pack of dogs

The Civil Guard has arrested a man for allegedly stabbing a cow that was later attacked by a pack of dogs in a forest near Guadalajara last February.

The 35-year-old resident of Valdejalón in Zaragoza used a 30-centimeter double-edged knife on the animal, authorities said.

A friend of the suspect captured the gruesome incident on his cellphone and later posted the video on social media. In the video, a man can be seen opening a gash on the cow’s left side before dozens of dogs rush in to kill it.

“There is enough evidence to support that this was unjust cruelty because of the way the animal agonized and the manner in which the men encouraged the dogs to attack”

Arturo Notivoli, the deputy chief of the Civil Guard’s Seprona environmental protection unit in Huesca province, explained that authorities opened an investigation after they saw the video and were able to locate the suspect, who was detained on Tuesday.

The man was charged with cruelty to animals and property damage because he was not the owner of the cow.

“There is enough evidence to support that this was unjust cruelty because of the way the animal agonized and suffered and the manner in which the men encouraged the dogs to attack,” he said.

The Civil Guard was able to recover the knife, which still had blood and hair on it, and have question the man who videotaped the incident.

If convicted, the suspect could face up to 18 months in prison under stiffer animal cruelty laws passed by the Popular Party (PP) government last July.

In October, a Palma de Mallorca judge sent a man to prison for beating to death his own racehorse.

English version by Martin Delfín.