In December 2003, PETA was inundated with telephone calls from Michigan residents outraged when two Menominee police officers deliberately drowned a citizen’s cat. The cat’s guardian had requested assistance in dealing with the reportedly feisty animal, who was soon safely confined to a cat carrier. Instead of leaving the then-confined cat with her guardian or taking the frightened animal to the Bay Shore Veterinary Clinic for further assessment—which would have been proper procedure—the officers decided, after consulting with their sergeant, that the best course of action would be to lower the cage, with the terrified cat inside, into the depths of a nearby river, where she slowly drowned. Click here to view an article about this incident.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) unconditionally condemns drowning as a method of killing. The 2000 Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia concludes, “Drowning is not a means of euthanasia and is inhumane.” In fact, the aforementioned alleged attack was an explicit violation of Michigan’s anti-cruelty statute, as well as a horrific lapse of compassion and judgment—qualities that most would consider critical to good policing.
PETA has just learned that Alger County Prosecuting Attorney Karen Bahrman refuses to prosecute this case, absurdly citing an exemption for “trapping” from Michigan’s cruelty statute. Click here to view an article about the prosecutor’s decision. PETA strongly disagrees with the prosecutor’s assessment of this case. While trapping and killing of wildlife is legal in Michigan, this exemption does not apply to domesticated animals. Furthermore, the cat in this case was placed in a carrier—not trapped.
Please contact county officials and urge them to reopen this investigation. Remind them that repeat crimes are the rule rather than the exception among animal abusers and that local authorities should be held accountable for breaking the law. Click here for more information.
In order not to detract from our campaign, it is imperative that all correspondence be polite and dignified.
The Honorable Karen Bahrman
Alger County Prosecuting Attorney
Courthouse Complex
101 E. Varnum St.
Munising, MI 49862
906-387-2200 (fax)
The Honorable Mike Cox
Michigan Attorney General
G. Mennen Williams Building, 7th Fl.
525 W. Ottawa St.
P.O. Box 30212
Lansing, MI 48909
517-373-3042 (fax)
miag@michigan.gov
James Furlong, Deputy Police Chief
Menominee Police Department
2509 10th St.
Menominee, MI 49858
906-863-9393 (fax)
SB 8005