Shared Photo Request To Identify Cat Killers

Outline
A recently circulating, and extremely graphic, photo of four youth who appear to have beheaded a cat requests that the photo be shared further in the hopes of identifying the offenders.



Brief Analysis
An image search indicates that the photo, which was one in a series of equally if not more graphic photos were originally uploaded in early 2012. The photos hit Twitter, and there are dozens of "twicsy" accounts sharing that photos dating back to early to mid-2012. Sharing of the photos ramped up around September 2012, at which time the youth involved were identified as being from several different countries. Law enforcement from several areas launched investigations at that time. 4 months later a new round of sharing at least one of these photos has started. There are a number of reasons why such sharing is not necessarily productive - the least of these being that many Facebookers are growing rather sick of having gory images cascading down their walls.

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Last updated: January 18, 2013
First published: January 18, 2013
Researched and written by David M. White
About Hoax-Slayer

Example


Detailed Analysis

**WARNING: Some of the links in this article point to pages that contain all of the uncensored photos related to this story. They are marked with an asterisk (*).  These photos are extremely graphic. If you are the least bit sensitive, just don't go there. **

While this article will not examine the possibility that the feline in question was possibly deceased before the mutilation took place, an examination of the entire series of photos makes it quite obvious that the single photo currently being shared is not a photoshop.   Whether or not the cat was already deceased is important only in one respect - not all countries' animal rights legislation extends to animals that are already dead.

The photos were taken some time prior to June 2012, and were originally shared between the individuals pictured and posted to websites such as 4chan.  They also started circulating by twitter, and ended up on dozens of "twicsy" accounts over the summer of 2012. By the time the photos first reached a level of sharing that would be considered "viral", a number of months had passed and a number of locations had already been targeted as the locale for the photos. The most common area identified seemed to be in the northern part of Israel, but Facebookers sharing the photos claimed it was areas *spanning the globe* from the Middle East to North and South America. Blogs and photo sharing websites sharing the photos frequently used the photos to *disparage the youth* in the photos from religious points of view.

By mid-September 2012, the photos had the attention of law enforcement in several countries - especially Israel. However, while there is still apparently some debate on the issue, Tunisia appears to be one of the more likely locales for the photos.

Like many other North African countries, animal rights legislation in Tunisia is not especially stringent.  Where it exists at all.  While there are a number of animal rights groups active in North Africa, the lack of legislation more familiar to persons from Western countries makes the probability that the youth in the photos would face any serious criminal charges rather small.

The lack of clear identification as to the location this occurred certainly contributed to the photo being shared in far removed locations - locations which defied the stated intent of the sharing.  That missing piece of rather important information brings up the value of sharing the photo in the first place.- In one example, a Canadian resident was so convinced that it was her cat that had been mutilated, she actually had the British Columbia SPCA investigating her claim. (And not irrelevant here is the statement that the investigators had not asked the public to actively assist in identifying the individuals).

This far removed from the origination of the photos, there is little reason to assume that continued sharing of these photos is going to accomplish much more than grossing out the facebookers unlucky enough to have these images hit their walls. While some animal rights activists defend sharing of such graphic images in the name of raising awareness, the stated intent for sharing these photos was not awareness of animal abuse, but identification of a group of boys who need much more parental supervision that they obviously received. Considering law enforcement in the area where it likely happened has been aware of the incident for at least 4 months, sharing it in countries far removed from that area is not likely to be helpful in any sense of the word.




References
*http://bit.ly/U5rJNG (http://sameerbook.com/jonews/koktail-news/15023.html)
http://bit.ly/XIlIGi
*http://bit.ly/WagxwS (http://www.zoosos.gr/article/2657/paizoun-philozooi-eno-einai-mono-phasistes-neonazi-akrodexioi)
http://bit.ly/WlqNmN (http://news.nana10.co.il/Article/?ArticleID=925698 )
http://bit.ly/104gV1r (http://pelephoneportal.invokemobile.com/nana/iarticle.aspx?ServiceID=126&ArticleID=925698 )
http://bit.ly/10k0rHs (http://archive.feedblitz.com/147688/~4233098)
http://allafrica.com/stories/201204170350.html
http://commons.bcit.ca/broadcastnews/2012/09/25/cat-mutilation-photos-spark-investigation/

Last updated: January 18, 2013
First published: January 18, 2013
Researched and written by David M. White
About Hoax-Slayer