Sled dogs slaughtered in Vancouver
Dog lovers in British Columbia have been left aghast at the news that more than 100 sled dogs were butchered in April of 2010.
The dogs belonged to a Californian sled dog business called Outdoor Adventures that ran into financial difficulties shortly after the Winter Olympics, which were held in Vancouver.
Now, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have launched an investigation into the cull.
The slaughter came to light in paperwork relating to a compensation payment made to an ex-employee of the firm. The unnamed person claimed to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from having to shoot the dogs.
The paperwork shows how the company, which was based in Whistler, BC, collapsed after the Games. When it was unable to find new homes for the dogs, it ordered a third of its 300 strong pack to be shot.
The general manager for the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Marcie Moriarty, was sickened by the incident, adding it was the worst investigation that she had ever taken part in.
The documents were obtained by Canadian radio station CKNW, and featured grisly details of the incident. The man who was ordered to shoot the dogs told how the pack turned on him as he conducted the killings. Lawyer Cory Steinberg, representing the man, said that it was “the worst experience he could ever have imagined”.
“He was essentially told to figure out a way to make the business more cost-effective.”
“They just had to have less dogs.”
An investigation is currently underway.
