A sheep sitting and held by the neck by a farmer , allowing experts to assess the udders. A powerful image from Ollastra that, within hours, went viral online, even reaching the attention of renowned animal rights activist Enrico Rizzi , who has been working for years to defend animal rights. The traditional livestock fair, held on April 25th, concluded with record numbers, given the large number of participants, but also sparked controversy, sparked by Rizzi, who strongly criticized the farmers' behavior.

"At a regional fair," the activist writes on her Facebook profile, " no law enforcement agency intervened to explain to this person (calling him that is already a stretch for me) that animals shouldn't be treated like slaves and should be treated humanely, not inhumanely. Disgusting. Shameful. Some people just can't seem to evolve ."

A post that in just a few hours has garnered thousands of likes, numerous comments, and shares. The reasons are varied, but most web users are against the Sardinians. "I'm proud to be Sardinian, but I completely disagree with actions like this, in which animals are treated like commodities with no respect ," wrote one woman, for example.

Ollastra's mayor, Osvaldo Congiu, weighed in on the case: "I'm well aware of the story, as it's been making waves on social media. And I'm sorry about all this. I'm not in the industry, but I can assure you that the sheep were treated very well, and I didn't see any mistreatment . Otherwise, I wouldn't have hesitated a moment before reporting the incident. Besides, I understand that they use this method because it's the only way to get the udders admitted . They care so much about the animals' well-being that, despite the presence of feed provided by the Fair, the farmers use their own, precisely because the animals follow a specific diet. I saw obsessive care ."

This isn't the first time Rizzi has weighed in on issues affecting the island. He had already pointed the finger at the Ovodda Carnival a year ago, when a camel named Rodolfo was paraded through the town's streets. Rizzi harshly criticized the event, denouncing alleged mistreatment and calling the use of the animal in a popular festival "indecent."

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