Durham Regional Police are investigating after a number of decapitated animals were found by the lake shore in Pickering.
The dead animals were discovered by passersby near the shores of Lake Ontario on Monday at around 10:30 a.m. in an isolated spot close to a busy public trail.
Officers responded to the area near Beachpoint Promenade and West Shore Boulevard and contacted animal services after they saw the dead livestock – a goat and several chickens.
There are no leads so far as to who left the animals there and why, police say.
“We’re trying to get information to find out exactly who did this and why they did this,” Const. George Tudos told CP24.com.
Tudos would not say how the animals died, but he said police are treating the discovery as suspicious.
“We’re not sure how they ended up the way they did. We’re still looking into it,” he said.
He said the animals were likely left in the area overnight or sometime early Monday, as the scene would not have gone unnoticed by passersby.
Durham police have not seen anything like this recently and Tudos called the finding “bizarre.”
“It’s not a common call that our officers respond to on a regular basis. So it’s somewhat suspicious, especially finding this in a public place,” he said.
Durham police are investigating together with animal services.
Investigators are asking anyone with information to call police at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 2542.
