Large number of animal carcasses were dumped in the wild - Sollefteå municipality police report

It is about animal bodies and parts of animals dumped in the wild, an illegal activity because the rules that apply to Sollefteå municipality do not allow waste to be disposed of in this way. Recently, several cases have been discovered following tips from the public.

- We found a stillborn lamb in a plastic bag at a rest area, says construction and environmental manager Maria Söderlund.

Domestic animal carcasses have been found in several places and the handling of the animals has caused the municipal officials to respond. With the support of both the Environmental Code and the Regulation on Animal By-Products, police have notified a person suspected of dumping animal parts from, among other things, cattle, which is considered extra risky.

- We hope it is due to ignorance, says Maria Söderlund, who at the same time notes that it can be an easy way to get rid of dead animals and slaughter remains.

At one site, about 20 animal bodies of cattle were found in various stages of degradation. There were also remains of sheep and moose bodies. It is suspected that the bodies were tipped on site using a tractor.

- We have made a police report in one case, but otherwise it is difficult to find the animal owner, states Maria Söderlund, explaining that the cadavers and the animal parts always have no labeling.

The suspect person claims, according to the municipality's documentation, that he does not own any animals and that he has not dumped any animal bodies at the site. However, he admits that he dumped moose carcasses.

The rules for handling carcasses and animal parts are mainly to avoid various types of contagion. The risk of diseases such as anthrax, foot-and-mouth disease and mad cow disease is the reason why cattle remains must be managed according to special routines.

See the municipality's pictures from the dumping site and hear the environmental manager's comments in the clip.