ANIMAL-CRUELTY PROBE
Police and tactical teams, fire department hazardous materials personnel, Fish and Wildlife officers and the Calgary Humane Society were among the agencies attending what was called an animal-cruelty investigation on the city’s outskirts on Tuesday.
Police and investigators from the Calgary Humane Society remained on scene late Tuesday of what was described as an animal-cruelty investigation at a rural property just west of city limits.
While details were limited, Postmedia has learned officers from both agencies arrived at the property in the 8300 block of 150th Avenue S.W., about five kilometres west of the community of Evergreen, on Tuesday morning.
Calgary fire department hazardous materials trucks, Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers and the RCMP Emergency Response Unit were seen attending the nearby command post and staging area, at a parking lot on 37th Street S.W. immediately north of Stoney Trail.
The HAWCS police helicopter and members of the CPS tactical unit were also at the scene early Tuesday morning.
Images of the scene show several homes, trailers and outbuildings on the property, occupied by the landowner and a number of tenants, Postmedia has learned.
Humane society spokeswoman Sage Pullen McIntosh described the response as an “ongoing animal-cruelty investigation,” but wasn’t able to provide details as the probe was still underway.
Sources told Postmedia that Tuesday morning’s operation, which saw warrants being served, yielded a number of seized animals and improperly stored firearms from the property.
A friend of the landowner with knowledge of the property, who Postmedia has agreed not to identify, said the property is home to a number of animals, including dogs, llamas, horses, goats, rabbits and cattle, owned by the landowner and his tenants.
None of the animals, he said, appeared to show signs of neglect or abuse.
“Every animal that I’ve seen, none are emaciated,” he said.
“Every dog is healthy, every horse looks healthy — it’s a bit of an unorthodox living space as it’s full of old cars and equipment.”