By Matthew Bonanno
A €5,000 reward has been offered by animal rights activists to catch those behind a series of cat killings. At least seven cats have been killed in Sliema, Gżira and Valletta since May, according to Real Animal Rights Malta. They were slammed to the ground and at least one had body parts cut off. More cats have been injured or have gone missing. Romina Frendo, who runs Real Animal Rights Malta, believes the killings may be related to an underground marketplace for animal torture videos. Frendo announced the €5,000 award for any information that would lead to the arrest of the killer. She said her NGO was putting up €1,000 from her own NGO, €3,000 from Sliema wholesaler Mix Markt Malta, and €1,000 from a business that wished to remain anonymous. The footage from June 11 showed an unknown man running around the corner onto St Charles Street at approximately 3.15am, holding a cat. He then violently slams the animal to the ground before leaving it on the street a few metres up the road.