The discovery of six mutilated animals, including a goat and miniature pony, south of Brandon has raised concern with residents and outrage among animal advocates.
“It’s awful. Honestly, it just makes us sick,” Tracy Munn, shelter manager with the Brandon Humane Society, said.
All six animals were found dead along the same stretch of rural road with their ears cut off, while one, the goat, was reported to have had its back legs tied.
The humane society sees many “ugly” cases of animal cruelty, according to Munn, including one case where a dog’s back was burned with what they believe to be poured hot oil, but ear removal is new.
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“To do this and just leave them there, they don’t even care if somebody sees what they’ve done. They want somebody to see what they’ve done,” she said.
The humane society is involved in most animal cruelty cases in the area.
The report has sparked a police investigation.
Const. Tyler Schryvers of the Brandon RCMP says all six animals were found by an area resident.
The woman, later identified as Heather Eagle Bears by CBC, reported the body of the miniature pony March 26 after discovering the goat several days earlier in roughly the same area.
“She didn’t think too much about it,” Schryvers said. “She was a little bit worried, but thought, ‘No, it could just be a random, one-time occurrence.”
That opinion changed with the discovery of the second carcass.
Following her report, she discovered the bodies of three coyotes and one raccoon, also with their ears missing.
“After finding the first two, she just got a bit more vigilant — really, really checking, and that’s when she found the other stuff,” Schryvers said.
Police are unsure when the bodies may have been dumped in the area.
Bodies have been taken by the Chief Veterinary Office in the hopes of determining cause of death, general health at the time of death and any ownership of the two domestic animals.
Neither the RCMP or Brandon Humane Society have heard of anyone missing a goat or miniature pony.
“We have no idea why anybody would do this,” Schryvers said. “There’s a whole bunch of theories out there, but until we get, you know, some better evidence back from the post-mortem exam and after we finish speaking with everybody and going through all the leads, then we can’t really speculate.”
The Brandon RCMP hope to have information from the Chief Veterinary Office in the near future.
Munn encouraged any members of the public with information on this, or any other case of animal abuse, to come forward. Personal information of anyone leaving a tip with the humane society will not be shared, Munn said.
“If you’re watching abuse go on and you know it’s going on, it doesn’t matter if it’s a child or an animal, you’re an accessory to that,” she said.
Anyone with information can reach the Brandon RCMP at 204-726-7522 or Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com or by texting “TIPMAN” plus their message to 274637.
