38 French bulldog puppies found dead in cargo on plane
The puppies were on board a flight from Ukraine to Canada’s Toronto Pearson Airport (Picture: Getty)An investigation has been launched by Canadian authorities after 38 puppies were found dead on a plane. At least 500 puppies were on board the Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) plane at Toronto Pearson Airport, officials said yesterday. Dog handler Abby Lorenzen, who was picking up another animal from the airport cargo area where the puppies were discovered last Saturday, branded the sight a ‘horror scene’. She told CBC that there were 572 animals on board and that ‘It was a nightmare.’ It is not clear if other types of animals were also on board. The surviving dogs were suffering from dehydration, weakness and vomiting, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which said the flight from Ukraine landed in Toronto on June 13 with approximately 500 French bulldogs on board. The agency said it ‘will determine next steps once the investigation is complete.’
Footage claiming to show the animals in crates in Kyiv has been shared on social media – with reports suggesting it was 33C at the time the animals were loaded. The animals were French bulldogs, a popular breed in Canada, and Scott Weese of the University of Guelph told CBC that puppy sales are ‘lucrative’ in the country. He suggested most buyers believe the animals are bred in Canada, but the reality is ‘we have no idea how many dogs come in, where they go, where they come from’. Mr Weese added that there was ‘potentially some organised crime component.’
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Sales of French bulldogs are ‘lucrative’ in Canada (Picture: Getty)Toronto Pearson Airport is the busiest airport in Canada (Picture: Getty)He continued: ‘You mentioned 500 French bulldogs.
If those are going for sale at $3,000 to $4,000 a dog, that’s a massive amount of money’.
UIA offered its ‘condolences for the tragic loss of animal life on our flight’ and said on Facebook that it was working with local authorities. CBC says the airline declined to answer questions.
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