When they first spotted something in the distance, the walkers thought they must be looking at a discarded plastic bag.
But as they approached the blue and white plastic, they couldn't contain their shock.
Nine helpless kittens had been cruelly abandoned in the woods - left to survive without any food or protection.
Heartless cruelty
Thankfully, animal welfare association Neuburg-Schrobenhausen e. V. stepped in to help.
"They wouldn't have survived the night", explained the team on Facebook. But while they may have been rescued from the woods, the volunteers issued an urgent appeal.
"We are looking for a surrogate mother cat for 2 litters (7 and 14 days old)", they wrote.
The wave of support
Facebook users were deeply shocked by the images.
"This wasn't done by a human, but by a monster", one horrified viewer commented. "Humanity is disgusting!", agreed another.
The post from Tierschutzverein Schrobenhausen was shared around 3,500 times, and a touching update soon followed.
"The kittens are doing well and have all been well placed- thanks to "the enormous and unexpected support from many cat lovers", they confirmed.
