French bulldogs, like those pictured here, are a popular breed in Canada (AFP Photo/Gary Gershoff) |
Montreal (AFP) - Canada has launched an investigation after some 500 puppies -- 38 of them dead -- were found on board a Ukraine International Airlines plane at the Toronto airport, officials said Saturday.
The
surviving French bulldogs, a popular breed in Canada, were suffering from
symptoms including dehydration, weakness and vomiting when they were found on
the flight from Ukraine which landed at Toronto Pearson Airport on June 13, the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency said in a statement.
The agency
"will determine next steps once the investigation is complete," it
said.
A dog
handler who was picking up another animal from the airport cargo area where the
puppies were discovered last Saturday told the CBC of a "horror
scene," adding: "It was a nightmare."
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.
Puppy sales
are "lucrative" in Canada, Scott Weese of the University of Guelph
told the CBC.
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," he said,
adding that there was "potentially some organized crime component."
"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," he told the broadcaster.