Remains of at least 117 dogs found with gunshot wounds at animal shelter | World | News
Remains of at least 117 dogs found on the grounds of a no-kill animal shelter (Image: AP)
The bodies of at least 117 dogs were found at a “no-kill” animal shelter, with many dead from gunshot wounds, police have confirmed.
Police began investigating Miranda’s Rescue, a shelter located on 50 acres in Fortuna, California, in April after receiving “credible information” that the shelter was allegedly involved in “animal abuse, animal cruelty, fraud and conspiracy.”
Using ground-penetrating radar, researchers found 117 intact remains in various stages of decomposition buried in an open-field mass grave. Investigators also found other remains in advanced stages of decomposition, the sheriff’s office said.
In the police analysis of the area, evidence of bullet fragments was found in the area; X-ray images confirmed that the bodies in the mass grave were riddled with bullets.
Police also uncovered 21 dog skulls, hundreds of bones and other remains during a search of the Miranda Animal Rescue Shelter on Friday.
This comes after investigators combing the area on Thursday zeroed in on a spot inside a barn on the property where they believed the dogs were likely killed.
In a grisly discovery, police found more than 600 dog collars nearby, and Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal called it a “horrific scene.”
Investigators search for remains (Image: AP)
No charges have yet been filed.
Miranda’s Rescue charges a fee for shelter transfers. He also takes donations that he claims help save animals to cover food, shelter, veterinary care, medicine, facility costs and staffing expenses.
According to legal documents related to an earlier search of the property, the sheriff’s office was tipped off by a group of animal advocates armed with trail cameras to monitor activity near a suspicious burial site.
The attorneys then went to the shelter property and dug up the dog remains, according to the affidavit.
Despite the gruesome discovery of the dog mass grave, there is still a long way to go in terms of police investigation.
Sheriff Honsal said: “This investigation is just getting started. There is a tremendous amount of data to process, witnesses to interview and evidence to examine.”
The sheriff’s office said hundreds of dogs have been transferred or surrendered to Miranda’s Rescue Center by private citizens and animal shelters, raising questions about the fate of each four-legged furball delivered to Miranda’s facility.
Researchers using ground-penetrating radar found 117 intact remains (Image: AP)
They x-rayed 70 of the remains at the site and found evidence of bullet fragments in most of them. (Image: AP)
“However, Miranda refuses to kill any animal unless it is a last resort,” he said. “Miranda’s Rescue is a no-kill rescue. We don’t euthanize animals just to make space.
“There are rare situations where euthanasia may be necessary; if an animal is suffering from a fatal condition or poses a serious, ongoing danger to humans or other animals.
“In such cases, we make the most humane and responsible decision we can, always considering public safety and animal welfare.”
In a statement posted on the shelter’s website on June 18, Miranda called recent media coverage and online comments about deaths at the shelter “an incomplete and, in some cases, inaccurate picture of our work.”
“At Miranda’s Rescue, our mission is to rescue as many animals as we can safely, always balancing compassion for animals with our responsibility to protect families, children, other pets, and the public.”
Investigations into the alleged brutality at Miranda’s animal sanctuary are ongoing.
