Omroep Flevoland – News – Drama with dead animals in Gelderse Diep even bigger, dog and cat removed from water

A dead cat and dog were found in the water of the Gelderse Diep in Lelystad on Tuesday afternoon. Local resident Jan Staphorst saw the animals floating and called the animal ambulance. “That scared me. That a dog ends up in the water and is not reported missing or something.”

At the end of the afternoon, the animal ambulance removed the animals from the water. Then it became clear that it wasn’t just about cats. Both animals are already in an advanced state of decomposition, which indicates that they have been in the water for a long time. The animal ambulance checked the animals for a chip, but found nothing.

Alert
Staphorst and his wife left the dog on Tuesday afternoon when they saw something in the water. “A lot has happened with cats in recent months, so you’re a bit more alert when you walk along the waterfront and we saw a cat near the bridge.”

He then called the animal ambulance. “Not even five minutes later we found another animal in another area, about a hundred meters away. We thought it was a cat, but it turned out to be a small dog about the size of a cat.”

It is not the first time that Staphorst has seen animals in the water of the Gelderse Diep. Last Monday he found a cat in the water, but this animal was still alive. “I suddenly saw a red head and when I went to look, I just saw a red cat climbing out of the water.” This animal managed to get out of the water on its own.

Many cats disappeared in the Lelystadse Boswijk last year, most of which were found dead in the Gelderse Diep. The police decided to investigate the incidents in April last year. Steps and ropes were also installed along the water’s edge, so that the animals can climb out of the water independently.

“Most cats here don’t end up alive in the water.”

Emotional owner
Dineke Peterse arrived emotionally on Tuesday afternoon, with her phone in her hand, when the animal ambulance had just left. She read about the new dead animals in the neighborhood app. “My cat has been missing since December, number 28 of the many cats that have disappeared here and are usually found dead in the canal.”

She is visibly upset that dead animals are being removed from the water again. “Most cats here do not end up alive in the water. This has also been shown by forensic research by the police.”

Also read: Stairs and ropes installed at the infamous Gelderse Diep

Peterse is disappointed that she was not able to ask the animal ambulance staff whether it might have been her black and white cat that has now been found. “You recognize your own cat out of thousands, even though they are already in an advanced state of decomposition, but unfortunately I was too late.”