October 19, 2005—A veterinarian on the island of Réunion, just off the coast of Africa, prepares to remove a fishing hook from a pet dog's snout this past summer. The dog had escaped fishers who planned to use it as shark bait, according to the animal rights group that shot the video from which the image is taken.

Though apparently restricted to a few amateur fishers, the practice is now seen as a problem on the French-controlled island, which teems with stray dogs and cats. Local authorities this month fined a man for hooking a puppy, and the French government has issued a statement condemning the illegal practice.