The RCMP were dispatched to the scene and determined that the carcasses were coyotes.
(Images in the gallery associated with this story contain photos that may be disturbing to some people)
Constable Gary Bartlett said he didn’t think the bodies had been in the water long. A woman on the scene confirmed they had not been there the day before. She says that she knows there are coyotes in the area.
“I know they trap them out here. You hear them all the time. I tried to call one inside my house one night because I thought it was a dog.”
There were several things about the carcasses that Bartlett said identified them as coyotes.
“They’re skinned. Their front paws are missing, their teeth,” he said.
Several tufts of rough gray fur on the legs could be seen when the bodies were pulled from the water and hauled by another trapper, Dave Houston, into the marsh grass for other wildlife to dispose of.
Houston was visibly upset by the callous act.
“That really pisses me off. Why right there? There’s no need of it. People like that shouldn’t even be allowed to trap.”
It was not known if the coyotes were trapped or shot locally, or just brought to the brook for disposal.
Bruce Nunn, communications advisor for the Department of Natural Resources in Nova Scotia, says that although no laws were broken by the act, it is bad form for trappers to dispose of bodies in this way.
“Our department generally advises trappers to drag a carcass up into the woods somewhere to allow natural recycling to take place,” he said.
“Other animals will feed off it and it will biodegrade. The fact that it’s in the water, that process will still happen but ideally, to allow other animals to feed off it, it would be better to not leave them frozen in water.”
As for the paws being cut from the animals, Nunn says it is one method of pelt removal.
Hunter associations advise their members not to leave carcasses in plain view because it can be disturbing to some non-hunters.
I know they trap them out here. You hear them all the time. I tried to call one inside my house one night because I thought it was a dog. - Yarmouth County woman
Through the provincial pelt incentive program from October to March, trappers are paid $20 if they can prove they have sold their pelt on the market. The market for coyote pelts has improved according to the Winter 2011 Fur Market Report, with pelts selling for $22 - $51, depending on condition.
On Jan. 9, a representative from the DNR office visited the site where the coyotes were disposed. Officers continue to monitor the area.
Last February, coyotes were a hot selling item at the Western States fur auction in Columbus, Montana, with 621 coyotes offered, and 578 sold, at an average of $44.83.
Coyote coats sell for as much as $3,000 in Asia and longhaired collars using fox, coyote or beaver are becoming increasingly popular.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE????????? not only is the act of tossing the skinned bodies of the coyotes into the river wrong and despicable, the simple act and the THOUGHT of skinning those poor innocent animals just for fashion purposes is SO REVOLTING that it makes me wonder whether these people have any education or better yet have A HEART at all. GROSS. this needs to stop!!!