Officials arrest alleged culprits in deliberate and horrific massacre of protected animals: 'Tore our hearts out'

After the brutal February killings of 16 donkeys in Cyprus shocked people around the world, four men — including a local councilor — were arrested in connection with the crime.

They were detained and held for five days last week and face fines of 173,876 Turkish lira ($4,773), the Cyprus Mail reported. The wild donkeys are a symbol of the area and have roamed free on the Karpas Peninsula for 51 years.

The horrific massacre was discovered by members of the Cyprus Wildlife Research Institute who were doing fieldwork at Taşkent Doğa Parkı, In-Cyprus reported.

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They were all shot at close range with a hunting rifle, and one of the donkeys was in the midst of giving birth, according to the nature park.

Taşkent Doğa Parkı said the slaughter "tore our hearts out," the Mail reported. On Saturday, a pair of athletes will embark on a 24-hour swim to "show that we stand against the b******* who committed the donkey massacre."

On Sunday, there was a motorcycle rally to raise awareness for the animals.

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Donations have poured in as well, with a management plan for the creatures hoping to raise ₺2.28 million ($62,579), per the Mail. Taşkent Doğa Parkı director Kemal Basat said that would support 300 donkeys. The money will help improve their living conditions as well as fund a program to count, catch, check the health of, and register the donkeys.

The Famagusta Gazette reported that the donkeys have been "a subject of conservation efforts" because of their declining numbers and threats to the population via human activity. With a helping hand, however, the animals could bounce back — just like a seal colony on the English coast.

The two species in Cyprus have been protected since 2008, according to Heartland of Legends. They were long used in olive farming before being replaced by machinery. In 1974, during the Turkish invasion of the island, residents abandoned them as they fled.