BBC uncovers the Ugandan scammers abusing dogs to elicit donations from animal lovers

BBC uncovers the Ugandan scammers abusing dogs to elicit donations from animal lovers1 hour agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleChiara Francavilla,Godfrey BadebyeandCatherine Namugerwa,BBC Africa Eye , MityanaBBCRusset was treated by a vet after being injured and used in fraudulent campaigns to raise money A dog with rust-coloured fur lies at the side of a road. He looks peaceful, but as the TikTok video pans from his face to the rest of his body, severe injuries to his hind legs appear.The dog is not resting. He is panting, presumably in pain.Text on the 15-second clip tells viewers that this dog "got into an accident" and asks them "to save his life" by donating through an online link.In the three weeks after the video was first posted on 8 January last year, this dog was featured in hundreds of other fundraising campaigns, by at least a dozen accounts.A social media user from the UK named the dog Russet, which reflected the colour of his coat. Thousands of dollars were raised for his treatment. But he never got better.BBC Africa Eye has discovered that this dog in Uganda was a prop in a scam that solicits donations for animals in distress, part of a hidden industry profiting from cruelty.It is impossible to conclusively establish what caused Russet's injuries, but BBC World Service journalists managed to piece together parts of his story, which suggest he endured prolonged suffering, regardless of the cause.The story connects a town in Uganda with animal lovers thousands of miles away. They are coaxed into parting with their money through emotional images, lies and the exploitation of Western stereotypes of Africa such as endemic poverty and widespread indifference towards animal welfare.But it is dogs like Russet who pay the biggest price.He was filmed in Mityana, a trading centre around 70km (43 miles) from Uganda's capital, Kampala.The town has become infamous among online animal rescue activists around the world for one thing -...