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Monday, May 9, 2011

Gruesome Dig: Experts to Exhume 100 Sled Dogs From Mass Grave

Two Outdoor Adventures Sled Dogs (Photo: Outdoor Adventures)

Dead dogs do tell tales. At least that’s the hope of the British Columbia SPCA. This week the SPCA will lead that largest and most complex investigation in its history when it oversees the exhumation of the 100 sled dogs killed last year by a sledding company that had fallen on hard times.

The Vancouver Sun reports that a team of forensic experts, anthropologists, and veterinarians from across North America will start painstakingly uncovering the bodies of the dogs on Thursday. They had been waiting for the ground to thaw enough for the dig, which is expected to take three to four days.

The remains of the dogs – killed last April when one lone worker allegedly shot most and slit their throats of some – will be transported elsewhere for necropsies. Investigators are looking to see if any of the dogs endured pain and suffering before their deaths. (Seems like a no-brainer, but I think they’re also looking to see if the dogs were neglected in the weeks and months before their deaths.)

It won’t be any easy task on any level.

“Because of the length of time that has passed since the incident occurred, it is necessary to employ painstaking, state-of-the-art forensic techniques to gather the evidence needed to pursue animal cruelty charges in the case,” Marcie Moriarty, general manager of cruelty investigations for the BC SPCA, told the Vancouver Sun.

The mass culling by an employee of Outdoor Adventures came to light in February after the man who killed the dogs filed for post-traumatic stress disorder compensation because of the horrific deed he carried out. Click here to read Dogster’s original report on the slaughter. I’ll keep you posted on the outcome of the investigation.




View the original article here

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