The images were truly disgusting and extremely painful. Twenty-four dogs were killed in cold blood by a contractor after a failed deal with KNPC. The pictures were all over social media and dailies, filled with speculations and opinions over the real reasons behind such a crime. The Kuwait National Petroleum Company issued a statement last week denying any connection with the 'execution' of the 24 sniffer dogs that were supposed to be used by the company in a deal with the local contractor. But when he failed to meet the required security standards, the agreement was terminated by the company.

The signed contract stipulated that a third party would examine the dogs' ability to uncover explosives at oil installations. But the dogs failed to detect explosives, so KNPC used its legal right to end the contract, which could happen to any agreement with humans or animals.

The crime occurred when this contractor decided to kill the dogs in cold blood instead of sending them to new homes for adoption or putting them up for sale! Putting the dogs to death due to their failure in a mission is like condemning people to death because they are no longer capable to work. This action was cruel, inhumane and immoral. There is no excuse for the murderer - he must be put on trial and fined.

It seems that the local contractor did not comply with the provisions signed between KNPC and the contracting company. The contractor probably knew that these dogs were old or not capable for the sniffing task, but maybe he thought that no one would notice this. This is a possible theory over why and what happened. Moreover, he probably thought that killing the dogs was cheaper than finding new homes for them, especially the sick ones. But, who says it's his choice to end their lives in such a way for no reason?!

The incident has several aspects, including criminal and environmental. Some sources indicate that a new round of execution will possibly be carried out soon to get rid of another 80 dogs in the same way, in preparation for a new license and import of new dogs to be used for new corporate contracts.

There have been many rumors over the causes of this disgusting crime, such as the cancellation of the contract, unpaid salaries and the illness of the dogs. But these excuses will never justify the killings. If revenge is one of the reasons, the dogs paid with their lives for this. The execution and burial was carried out in violation of all laws and regulations of the Municipality and the EPA. The 24 dogs were buried in open yards.

We need to know all the facts and no one should be above the law or rewarded with a new contract. This incident may have other relevant facts related to the workers and their unpaid salaries and working hours. The identity of the local contractor, the company name and all those who are associated with this ugly crime must be revealed to the public.

By Muna Al-Fuzai

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