Just wanted to post this as a warning - two dogs poisoned at west end Toronto park.
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http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/abc/hom...g_poison_080624
deadly poison, designed specifically to lure animals, has been spread throughout a west-end Toronto park, where dogs often roam off-leash, police confirmed Tuesday.
Second dog dead after poisoning
View more MSN videosGo to CTV.ca
A police officer holds up a poisoned piece of bread during a press conference at High Park in Toronto on Tuesday, June 24, 2008.
CTV.ca News Staff
Investigators confirmed two dogs have died and four others are recovering after somebody deliberately spread different sources of poison throughout High Park.
A mixture of what appeared to be whole wheat bread and flax seed was discovered by police Tuesday morning about five minutes from Dog Hill, a section of the park where dogs often roam free.
A toxic liquid was poured over the bread mix, Det. Suzanne Pinto told reporters at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
"It was designed for the exact purpose to lure animals," she said.
It is believed the mix was ingested by one of the sick dogs.
"Everything around the area (where the bread mix was found), like plants, died," said Pinto. "It was in an area of political debate."
Police are investigating whether the poison was put in the park by someone who does not support a plan to designate a section of the park as an off-leash area for dogs.
Pinto told reporters at a news conference Tuesday afternoon that police are also investigating whether raccoons fell victim to the poisoning.
An "unusually high" number of dead raccoons have been found over the past several weeks but police were never called and the carcasses were tossed in the garbage.
Now that poison has been linked to the park, police believe about 12 raccoons ate a toxic substance and died.
Pinto said the dead animals had been found in unusual positions. One raccoon's body was posed holding a bouquet of flowers and another was found holding a dead squirrel.
"The same person would have had access to the raccoons the moment they died," Pinto said. "Who knows maybe they were testing the poison on the raccoons.
"It's a sick twisted joke to somebody but not to anybody else," she said.
She said dog owners should keep their pets on a leash while in the park and to always keep a close eye on things they put in their mouth. Parents are also being warned about leaving their small children unattended.
"We are sweeping the park and are co-ordinating our efforts with the city's parks staff and volunteers," she said.
Six dogs who played in the park over the weekend fell ill after drinking from a water source on Dog Hill. Testing confirmed the water was laced with antifreeze.
The detective said she believes animals are being maliciously targeted.
"Too many things have happened that are beyond coincidence," she said.
Dog owners say they're shocked and disgusted by the turn of events.
"I don't know how anybody can be so cruel," one woman told CTV Toronto.
"It's terrifying," said another park goer. "We let our dog off the leash all the time on Dog Hill. The fact that someone would do that is just terrifying."
Recent changes to the Criminal Code have made it an indictable offence to poison a pet or to leave poison somewhere a pet could easily ingest it.
http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/abc/hom...g_poison_080624
deadly poison, designed specifically to lure animals, has been spread throughout a west-end Toronto park, where dogs often roam off-leash, police confirmed Tuesday.
Second dog dead after poisoning
View more MSN videosGo to CTV.ca
A police officer holds up a poisoned piece of bread during a press conference at High Park in Toronto on Tuesday, June 24, 2008.
CTV.ca News Staff
Investigators confirmed two dogs have died and four others are recovering after somebody deliberately spread different sources of poison throughout High Park.
A mixture of what appeared to be whole wheat bread and flax seed was discovered by police Tuesday morning about five minutes from Dog Hill, a section of the park where dogs often roam free.
A toxic liquid was poured over the bread mix, Det. Suzanne Pinto told reporters at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
"It was designed for the exact purpose to lure animals," she said.
It is believed the mix was ingested by one of the sick dogs.
"Everything around the area (where the bread mix was found), like plants, died," said Pinto. "It was in an area of political debate."
Police are investigating whether the poison was put in the park by someone who does not support a plan to designate a section of the park as an off-leash area for dogs.
Pinto told reporters at a news conference Tuesday afternoon that police are also investigating whether raccoons fell victim to the poisoning.
An "unusually high" number of dead raccoons have been found over the past several weeks but police were never called and the carcasses were tossed in the garbage.
Now that poison has been linked to the park, police believe about 12 raccoons ate a toxic substance and died.
Pinto said the dead animals had been found in unusual positions. One raccoon's body was posed holding a bouquet of flowers and another was found holding a dead squirrel.
"The same person would have had access to the raccoons the moment they died," Pinto said. "Who knows maybe they were testing the poison on the raccoons.
"It's a sick twisted joke to somebody but not to anybody else," she said.
She said dog owners should keep their pets on a leash while in the park and to always keep a close eye on things they put in their mouth. Parents are also being warned about leaving their small children unattended.
"We are sweeping the park and are co-ordinating our efforts with the city's parks staff and volunteers," she said.
Six dogs who played in the park over the weekend fell ill after drinking from a water source on Dog Hill. Testing confirmed the water was laced with antifreeze.
The detective said she believes animals are being maliciously targeted.
"Too many things have happened that are beyond coincidence," she said.
Dog owners say they're shocked and disgusted by the turn of events.
"I don't know how anybody can be so cruel," one woman told CTV Toronto.
"It's terrifying," said another park goer. "We let our dog off the leash all the time on Dog Hill. The fact that someone would do that is just terrifying."
Recent changes to the Criminal Code have made it an indictable offence to poison a pet or to leave poison somewhere a pet could easily ingest it.
