Whistler sled dog cull
Encyclopedia
The Whistler sled dog cull was a controversial cull of 100 sled dogs in Whistler, British Columbia
, Canada, that prompted investigation by the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(SPCA) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP). It occurred on April 21 and April 23, 2010, performed by Robert Fawcett, who later filed a claim at WorkSafeBC
for post-traumatic stress disorder
. Fawcett, an employee of Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc., was allegedly told to euthanize the dogs because of a downturn in business after the 2010 Olympic Games.
claim with WorkSafeBC for post-traumatic stress disorder
after being told to kill 100 sled dogs in April 2010 because of a downturn in bookings following the 2010 Olympic Games, after a veterinarian
refused to euthanize the healthy dogs. Fawcett alleged "execution-style killings" in which he wrestled dogs to the ground, stood on them, and shot them or slit their throats. The dogs were then dumped into mass grave
s. A statement from Outdoor Adventures Whistler, the parent company, stated that "OAW was aware of the relocation and euthanization of dogs at Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc. in April 2010, but it was our expectation that is was done in a proper, legal and humane manner."
An investigation was launched by the B.C. SPCA, hiring a team of forensic experts. It was estimated to cost up to $225,000, half of which would be provided by the B.C. government. It was called "one of the world's biggest ever animal cruelty cases" by Mail Online, and the most complex investigation the SPCA has ever undertaken by Marcie Moriarty, General Manager of cruelty investigations for the B.C. SPCA. The excavation was completed on May 9th, 2011, and recovered the bodies of 56 dogs.
Despite the controversy, Tourism Whistler reported normal amounts of website bookings.
The amount of money spent on the investigation was criticized by the Times Colonist:
Marcie Moriarty defended the cost by saying, "I want to be clear: We would not have taken this step if it wasn't essential to proceeding with possible charges in this particular case. Our legal system requires proof of allegations, and in this case the forensic evidence was a key component".
According to Kaley Pugh, Manager of Animal Protective Services for the Saskatchewan SPCA, adoptions of huskies have increased due to the incident.
. Among proposed amendments to animal cruelty laws were raising the statute of limitations
for animal cruelty from six months to three years and increasing maximum penalties from $10,000 and six months in jail to $75,000 and two years in jail, making B.C. animal rights legislation the toughest in Canada. Clark also announced the appointment of a Crown lawyer to deal with animal cruelty cases. The legislation was introduced on May 11, 2011.
The province proclaimed April 23, 2011 (one of the two days on which the crime was committed a year prior) Animal Abuse Prevention Day.
The provincial government stated in October 2011 that sled dog companies must have their animals inspected annually if they want to operate on British Columbia Crown land
.
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
, Canada, that prompted investigation by the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit animal welfare organization originally founded in England in 1824 to pass laws protecting carriage horses from abuse. SPCA groups are now found in many nations, where they campaign for animal welfare, assist in cruelty to animals...
(SPCA) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP). It occurred on April 21 and April 23, 2010, performed by Robert Fawcett, who later filed a claim at WorkSafeBC
WorkSafeBC
WorkSafeBC is the operating name of the Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia, a statutory agency created by an act of the provincial legislature in 1917. WorkSafeBC is the exclusive workers' compensation insurer in British Columbia, Canada, covering more than 200,000 registered...
for post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
. Fawcett, an employee of Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc., was allegedly told to euthanize the dogs because of a downturn in business after the 2010 Olympic Games.
History
The incident took place at Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc. (under operational control by Outdoor Adventures Whistler), a company that provided sled dog tours to tourists, and had had orders filed against it by the SPCA in 2006. Robert Fawcett, an employee of Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc., filed a workers' compensationWorkers' compensation
Workers' compensation is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her employer for the tort of negligence...
claim with WorkSafeBC for post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
after being told to kill 100 sled dogs in April 2010 because of a downturn in bookings following the 2010 Olympic Games, after a veterinarian
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
refused to euthanize the healthy dogs. Fawcett alleged "execution-style killings" in which he wrestled dogs to the ground, stood on them, and shot them or slit their throats. The dogs were then dumped into mass grave
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
s. A statement from Outdoor Adventures Whistler, the parent company, stated that "OAW was aware of the relocation and euthanization of dogs at Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc. in April 2010, but it was our expectation that is was done in a proper, legal and humane manner."
An investigation was launched by the B.C. SPCA, hiring a team of forensic experts. It was estimated to cost up to $225,000, half of which would be provided by the B.C. government. It was called "one of the world's biggest ever animal cruelty cases" by Mail Online, and the most complex investigation the SPCA has ever undertaken by Marcie Moriarty, General Manager of cruelty investigations for the B.C. SPCA. The excavation was completed on May 9th, 2011, and recovered the bodies of 56 dogs.
Media and public response
Various Outdoor Adventures employees received anonymous death threats and rallies were scheduled across B.C. to protest the killings.Despite the controversy, Tourism Whistler reported normal amounts of website bookings.
The amount of money spent on the investigation was criticized by the Times Colonist:
Marcie Moriarty defended the cost by saying, "I want to be clear: We would not have taken this step if it wasn't essential to proceeding with possible charges in this particular case. Our legal system requires proof of allegations, and in this case the forensic evidence was a key component".
According to Kaley Pugh, Manager of Animal Protective Services for the Saskatchewan SPCA, adoptions of huskies have increased due to the incident.
Government response
A "Sled Dog Task Force" was set up by former B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, which made 10 recommendations, all of which were accepted by the province under his successor, Premier Christy ClarkChristy Clark
Christina Joan "Christy" Clark, MLA is a Canadian politician, the 35th and current Premier of British Columbia, Canada...
. Among proposed amendments to animal cruelty laws were raising the statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
for animal cruelty from six months to three years and increasing maximum penalties from $10,000 and six months in jail to $75,000 and two years in jail, making B.C. animal rights legislation the toughest in Canada. Clark also announced the appointment of a Crown lawyer to deal with animal cruelty cases. The legislation was introduced on May 11, 2011.
The province proclaimed April 23, 2011 (one of the two days on which the crime was committed a year prior) Animal Abuse Prevention Day.
The provincial government stated in October 2011 that sled dog companies must have their animals inspected annually if they want to operate on British Columbia Crown land
Crown land
In Commonwealth realms, Crown land is an area belonging to the monarch , the equivalent of an entailed estate that passed with the monarchy and could not be alienated from it....
.