National Geographic: (photo) Live and dead dogs and cats are being used as shark bait by amateur fishers on the French-controlled island of Réunion, according to animal-welfare organizations and local authorities.

The small volcanic island off Africa’s east coast is bursting with stray dogs – upward of 150,000, says Reha Hutin, president of the Paris-based Fondation 30 Millions d’Amis. The foundation plans to finance a sterilization program on the island to reduce the stray overpopulation. But the job won’t be easy. Hutin said many locals view the strays as vermin. “There’s no value to the life of a dog there,” she said.

Fabienne Jouve of GRAAL said, “Lately, almost every week, one dog has been found with hooks on the island, not counting the cats found on the beaches partially eaten by the sharks. Once fishers capture the animals, the dogs and cats are hooked the day before, so they can bleed sufficiently.” Some escape before being tossed into the ocean. Others aren’t so lucky. After hooks are plunged into their paws and/or snouts, the animals are attached to inflatable tubes with fishing line and dumped into the ocean, Clicanoo, the newspaper, reports. To avoid detection fishers place their bait in the middle of the night, according to the newspaper account. In the morning the men return to see if a shark has been caught.

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