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Photo of two puppies from the van
The police in Bavaria secured 72 puppies in a van.
As the police headquarters in Oberpfalz announced, the animals were to be transported by men from Slovakia to Spain and Portugal.
The car with the animals was therefore noticed on the A6 near Pleystein.
In the hold, the officials found that the animals were completely inadequately cared for.
They were too young to be transported, their cages too small, and they also lacked water.
Some of the puppies were already dehydrated and apathetic.
It is questionable whether the animals would have survived the further transport.
According to the announcement, the veterinary office called found that the way the dogs were transported in the small cages did not comply with the legal regulations.
According to police, the breeds involved included dachshunds, pugs, huskies and golden retrievers.
The police brought in the Animal Welfare Association for help, which divided the animals with ten vehicles between seven different animal shelters.
The investigators put the sale value of the puppies at over 100,000 euros.
The sum shows that such transports can be extremely lucrative for the animal dealers and that the death of some dogs is at least accepted, it said.
Ads are coming to the carriers, they may have to answer for forgery of documents.
fek/AFP