Uganda Police Rescue Dozens of Dogs from Scam Shelters After BBC Probe

Police and animal rights organizations in Uganda have rescued dozens of dogs held in fake shelters and exploited for online scams, following a BBC investigation.

Officers raided two adjacent shelters in Mityana and arrested one suspect. Animal rights activists said two other suspects remain at large.

Owen Godfrey Membe pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty and was remanded in custody until May 27.

The dogs from Membe's shelter and a nearby operation stayed on site but came under the care of Animal Welfare Alliance Uganda, a network of local and international activists fighting organized animal exploitation. The group, which includes veterinarians, secured land for an emergency shelter to house the animals.

Animal Justice Center, a Uganda-based organization, brought the private prosecution against Membe with funding from We Won't Be Scammed, a UK group that uses online tactics to expose sham shelters in Uganda. We Won't Be Scammed said it plans to take the dogs into partner facilities there.

The raids came after a BBC investigation revealed scammers in Mityana posting social media videos of dogs in distress to solicit hundreds of thousands of pounds from international donors. Undercover footage showed content creators spending the money on luxury lifestyles instead of animal care.

The probe highlighted Russet, a dog with severe leg injuries featured on dozens of social media accounts with funding pleas for treatment. BBC reporters followed Russet from the Mityana shelters to a veterinary clinic in Kampala. A surgeon who operated on the dog said the injuries appeared intentionally inflicted. Russet did not survive.

"This case is the first arrest after the world has seen how this scam has developed into an online content creator's scamming business," said Bart Kakooza, vice-chairperson of Animal Welfare Alliance Uganda.

"The entire world is now watching to see how Uganda will bring these cases to justice and how these animals will be given a new chance at life lived without cruelty."