Dear Source:
The many USVI residents who believe in preventing animal abuse were heartened by Senator Donastorg's bill presented several weeks ago.
We would all like to know the status of this bill, and when it will be put into effect. Every day of every week of every year, animals are being abused, and the sooner the better to legally put an end to their suffering – be it through dog and cock fighting (which is also a popular form of unregulated gambling), beating and torturing, or just plain leaving an animal tied out in the sun with no shade and water.
I think many people in this territory would be horrified if they had a clue about the quantity and types of abuse that exist in the Virgin Islands. No one wants to believe that our fellow citizens pour acid on dogs to "discipline" them, or skin animals alive "for fun", tie puppies in sacks to trees to train their fighting dogs to kill, or simply refuse to care or feed for them, and worst of all, persist in a backward notion that there is something wrong with spaying and neutering animals – resulting in thousands of deaths a year of unwanted puppies and kittens.
Please – let's move this bill along, and help us all step into the 21st century!
Christine O'Keefe
St. Thomas