In Toronto someone is putting bread soaked in poisionous substances and leaving it at a dog park in Toronto. So far two dogs have died. But it took a turn for the weird yesterday:
http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_24121.aspx
The tragic story of the poisoning of several dogs in High Park has taken a bizarre turn. And authorities don't quite know what to make of it.
Two dogs have died and four others were sickened after it appears they came into contact with a poisonous substance at the leash free area earlier this week. The deceased animals were found to have ingested a deadly ingredient in anti-freeze, which lead to their sudden demise. The others may have drunk from bowls containing suspected tainted water near a hydrant.
But police now say they're not sure what else they may be dealing with, after the discovery of a piece of whole wheat bread soaked in some kind of apparently sinister substance. It was discovered hidden in the bushes, appears to be the kind of thing a dog would be attracted to, and will be taken away to be analyzed.
Cops are leaning towards the idea that the new discovery may be similar to the anti-freeze in the water, but they won't know for sure until a lab looks at it. But they believe at least one of the dogs who died found and sampled the morsel.
"The bread was left in the park where Hannah, one of the deceased dogs, was playing, and some liquid substance was poured and soaked all over the bread and it's probably been there for a couple of days," relates Det. Suzanne Pinto. "And various animals probably got into it, and it would have been enough to kill the dog."
The woman who used to walk Hannah can't fathom why anyone would want to harm such a sweet and loving friend. "She was energetic. She was sweet, loved people, loved attention, and now she's gone. For a senseless reason."
But that's just the beginning of the mystery. Police are also looking into an extremely strange discovery involving raccoons at the park. Authorities have received reports of an "unusual" number of carcasses of the wild animals in the area. It's not clear yet what killed them, but the way they were left has some feeling very disturbed.
"Their carcasses were posed with flowers in between their paws, like a bouquet," Pinto relates. Another appeared to be cradling a dead squirrel.
The working theory: whoever is behind the poisonings may have practiced on the other creatures first, so they could test that their lethal recipe was working.
But experts have been frustrated in trying to analyze what happened to the raccoons, because the public has understandably disposed of their carcasses.
"Unfortunately, nobody ever called the police at the time, but there's no reason to disbelieve what we're hearing from several sources. Meaning somebody, the same person, would have had access to raccoons at the moment they died. Who knows? Maybe they were testing poison on the raccoons."
Police still have no idea what the motive for the incidents could be, but are wondering if it may be tied in to a controversy involving shrinking the size of an off-leash area that has left some residents badly divided.
Most agree there's no reason for anyone to exact such a terrible revenge to make a point. "I'd hate to think that anybody would poison dogs just over a contentious issue between humans," one woman admits. But does she think it's a possibility? "Yeah," she responds without hesitation. "I think it's possible."
Pinto agrees more than one person could be involved.
In the meantime, cops are sweeping the entire park and are telling pet owners to avoid the area or keep their animals leashed and to be extremely careful about what the pets have access to. Because they admit they have no idea how far the contaminated items may have been scattered.
The other news is that the remaining dogs who have been sickened may not have been victims of anti-freeze ingestion after all - and are expected to recover. But what made so many so ill all at once isn't known.
"There were two other dogs that were very sick, and the vet says that those dogs were not poisoned by antifreeze," Pinto outlines. "It could have been something harmless, like marijuana, but she doesn't have all the test results." She's hoping those remaining cases weren't malicious.
Area residents are more nervous than ever. "I live around here and I guess I'm not going to be coming back," frets dog owner Suzanne Cote, with a real look of worry in her face as she surveys the otherwise serene scene. "That's terrible."
It's the latest in a series of apparently deliberate animal poisonings across the city. One dog died and up to five others fell ill after eating insecticide-laced hot dogs in Withrow Park in 2004. This past February three dogs died after being exposed to rat poison in Delma Park in Etobicoke.
But unlike those cases, cops believe this one will be solved. "There's always issues with dogs off leash and pit bull bans and this and that. But ... this is vigilantism which is misplaced," Pinto declares. "It's distorted and it's disturbed. And it's going to lead to further trouble down the road for this individual. It seems like it's part of their personality, and ... we're going to run into them sooner or later."
If you can help investigators call 11 Division at (416) 808-1100 or Crime Stoppers at (416) 222-TIPS.
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