A 'highly unstable' man allegedly turned up at an animal rescue shelter in Switzerland and demanded a goat so he could kill it, before asking to be left alone with an animal for sexual relations. Police were called and the man was arrested minutes later.
The incident happened earlier this week at the 4 Pattes pour Demain shelter in Saxon, Valais, Switzerland. In a public 'call for vigilance' shared on social media, the shelter said: 'Today, a man showed up at the shelter asking me to give him a goat so he could kill and eat it.'
Manager Wendy Pichard immediately refused, stressing that the goats and other residents are rescued animals who live at the refuge as companions. The post continues: 'I immediately explained to him that this was absolutely out of the question and that the animals here are protected and considered pets.'
Disturbing request after repeated refusals
Staff claim the situation quickly escalated. Despite 'several very clear refusals', the man allegedly kept insisting before making a far more sickening request. The shelter wrote: 'The situation then took an extremely disturbing turn when he asked me, several times, to be left alone for about 30 minutes with one of our animals in order to have sexual relations with it.'
The manager claims she told him to leave and warned she would call the police. Instead, the man allegedly stayed on the premises 'for several more minutes', repeatedly asking for 'help' to be alone with an animal.
Police called and arrest
Police were called and arrived shortly afterwards, 20 Minutes reported. 'Faced with his insistence and the severity of his statements, I finally contacted the police,' the post said.
The shelter added: 'The man was arrested a few minutes later. When he spotted the police officers, he attempted to flee into the vineyards before being caught. According to what was later reported to me, he allegedly admitted to police officers the sexual nature of his intentions toward our animals.'
Shelter vows to strengthen security
The charity continued: 'Fortunately, no harm was committed today at the shelter. However, this incident is being taken extremely seriously.' The shelter also referenced a traumatic earlier case: 'Back in 2022, our shelter was already confronted with acts of abuse committed against a mare.'
It warned locals to stay alert and said: 'We will therefore double our vigilance and strengthen as much as possible the security of the shelter and its animals… The safety, integrity, and protection of our animals will always remain our absolute priority.'
