ST. CROIX -- The Virgin Islands Police Department said Wednesday that it was investigating a possible animal cruelty incident after finding 3 puppies dead at one location on the grounds of a church in Montpellier near Mahogany Road.
According to V.I.P.D. Public Information Officer Glen Dratte, the puppies were discovered on Saturday, April 6 by a concerned resident who requested anonymity. Mr. Dratte said the resident told police that five separate piles of dog food with a white, powdery substance on top were discovered.
According to police, based on the evidence obtained, there were a total of 5 puppies and one adult female stray dog being fed at the location for a while. A V.I.P.D. animal cruelty investigator who was on the scene, said the 3 puppies showed signs of poisoning. Laboratory results indicated that a highly toxic poison called Methomyl was detected on the dry dog food collected from the scene. Methomyl is a restricted carbamate insecticide and it was used to poison the dogs, according to police.
There have been 3 other animal poisoning cases where the Methomyl insecticide was detected, the release said. One incident occurred in 2015 in the Estate Carlton area, where 5 dogs were killed and 1 survived; Estate Diamond in 2016, where 1 dog was killed while 1 survived; and in Estate Clifton Hill this year, where 5 dead dogs were discovered, with one being found alive.
The V.I.P.D. is asking anyone with information about the incidents, or if you know of anyone with the illegally and highly-toxic poison called Methomyl, to contact the force's animal cruelty investigator at 340-778-2211, 911 or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers USVI here.
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