Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark has issued a statement in response to the circulation of video footage on social media of alleged, organized, pitbull fighting and animal cruelty reportedly taking place at different locations in the borough, as recently reported.

 

“The Bronx district attorney’s office has dedicated assistant district attorneys and detective investigators committed to investigating and prosecuting crimes committed against animals, including cruelty, neglect, hoarding and the fighting of dogs and other animals,” the statement, released April 30, read.

 

It continued, “We are working with the NYPD’s Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad to determine where the viral video of the pit bull attacking the cat was taken and who created it, in order to determine whether criminal charges are warranted. Anyone with information that could help, or anyone who recorded the incident in the video, is asked to call our Civilian Complaint Unit at (718) 590-2300 or email: BXDADICCU@bronxda.nyc.gov.”

 

As reported, arriving police officers shot and killed the dog during the attack, but the still-unidentified victim could not be saved and died later at St. Barnabas Hospital. One neighbor told Norwood News the man had allegedly mistreated the dog while another said he had not.

 

Meanwhile, on Thursday, May 2, the DA’s office provided a separate update on the status of an abused dog called Finn, writing, “Finn, a dog who was abused by his owner has been placed into a loving home!” The update continued, “Thanks to the hard work of our team at the Bronx District Attorney’s Office and the ASPCA, Finn, (formally known as Kash) was rescued from an owner who was caught on video hitting the 18-month-old with a leash, as well as picking him up by his collar and tossing him down a hallway. His former owner was forced to surrender the pit bull and is banned from having any animals for at least five years.”

 

 

In May 2023, as reported, the Bronx district attorney’s office charged a Bronx man with killing a dog after he allegedly slammed the head of Ken-Shin, a 9 ½-pound Pomeranian, onto a wooden coffee table, killing the dog instantly.

The same month, as reported, New York City officials broke ground on a new $92 million animal shelter / care center in the Baychester section of the borough.

 

In May 2022, as reported, 23 alleged River Park Towers gang members were charged with an animal cruelty misdemeanor, among other charges in the Morris Heights section. The DA’s office said they were livestreaming a pigeon that flew into the area and likened the bird to a Crip [rival gang member] who wandered into their neighborhood. One defendant allegedly said, “If we get a hundred views, we’ll kill it.” According to the Bronx DA’s office, they reached that number and beat the pigeon to death with a cane on Facebook live.

 

Earlier this year, in mid-March, Norwood News reported that a dog became impaled on a railing after it apparently jumped off the roof of a residential building in Kingsbridge. We understand the dog died and though we followed up, we didn’t ever receive definitive confirmation. We’re following up with Animal Care Centers of NYC and will share any updates we receive.

 

Also in March, as reported, five cats died and two people were injured in a fire in Kingsbridge.

 

Meanwhile, as reported, Little Wanderers NYC are encouraging all Bronxites who care about animal cruelty to call their city council representatives and let them know that Bronx animal rescuers need help.

“Government officials can no longer turn a blind eye to the violence and suffering right under their noses,” the group said. “We’ve had enough. This is a call to action!” The group are calling on animal lovers and Bronx residents to demand the following:

1. Increase resources for Bronx rescue groups that include spay/neuter services and offer subsidies to vets who partner with rescue groups.
2. Encourage the police to take animal abuse seriously and stop giving animal rescue groups the run around.
3. Demand that the Bronx DA leverages maximum penalties on dogfighting.

 

The cat rescue group also shared the contact details for the following Bronx city council members and said, “Call them! Email them!”

Eric Dinowitz
718-549-7300
Dinowitz@council.nyc.gov

Diana Ayala
212-828-9800
Dayala@council.nyc.gov

Kevin Riley
District12@council.nyc.gov
718-684-5509

Pierina Sanchez
District14@council.nyc.gov
347-590-2874

Oswald Feliz
District15@council.nyc.gov
718-842-8100

Althea Stevens
District16@council.nyc.gov
718-588-7500

Meanwhile, Bedford Park resident, Elizabeth Quaranta, recently shared details from Bideawee’s Feral Cat Initiative on social media on how to help decrease the number of kittens being born in “the wild” and improve the lives of feral and stray cats in the area. Residents can register for an online Trap-Neuter-Return (#TNR) certification workshop from the Community Cats Podcast / Neighborhood Cats, coming up on Saturday, May 4. The online workshop will also be offered on June 1 and July 14 the post read. Register here.

 

“Looking for more community members who can help out with this program, especially since we have so many cats and not one person can do this,” Quaranta wrote. Norwood resident, Betty Arce, chair of Bronx Community Board 7’s sanitation committee, who also volunteers to help feral cats, added, “That would be great for more people to step up and be the help they need. I’m always available to provide support.”