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Animal ripper wreaks havoc
17/08/2005 21:16 - (SA)
Geneva - Authorities and farmers in northern Switzerland have put up a reward of Sf 26 000 ($20 700) after a string of blood curdling and sadistic assaults on farm animals in recent weeks that have baffled police.
Police from three Swiss regions have joined forces in an "intense" manhunt amid warnings that the mysterious culprit or culprits could be extremely dangerous because of the cruelty involved in the mutilations of cows, sheep, horses, rabbits and cats.
The 43 confirmed attacks since late May in rural areas south of the city of Basel have a similar pattern, mainly involving surgically excised genitalia or mammary organs. Many of the animals died or had to be put down.
Some bore traces of zoophilia or sexual assault, according to the police forces at the centre of the hunt, which have imposed a partial news black-out on their investigation.
In their latest weekly report on the "emotionally-charged" attacks, police in the canton of Basel-Country said on Wednesday that three people had been detained, but were later cleared.
One of the suspects was spotted while he was masturbating in his car near a meadow, another turned out to be a burglar, while the third had been on the run for eight years, police said.
"If this pervert comes back to my land he won't leave alive," the owner of one of the animals said.
Speculation about the profile of the attacker has been rife, ranging from someone from nearby Germany, to a vet or a farmer because of their apparent skill in approaching and dealing with animals.
"Above all this is someone who takes pleasure in mutilating, spilling blood and killing, that's their main characteristic," prison psychologist Bruno Gravier said.
"I think the cruelty and violence are far more significant in this affair than the choice of victims. "And cruelty towards animals is a characteristic found in the profile of many psychopaths," Gravier told the Swiss newspaper Le Temps.
- AFP
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