An investigation was launched after the discovery at the Toronto airport of about 500 puppies on a Ukrainian plane, of which 38 were dead and others in poor health, announced on Saturday the Canadian Inspection Agency food (CFIA). The young dogs, French bulldogs very popular in Canada, were on board an aircraft of the company Ukraine International Airlines (UAI) which landed on June 13 at Toronto Pearson airport.
Thirty-eight animals died on arrival and several others suffered from dehydration, weakness and / or vomiting, the agency said. "CFIA officials are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident and will determine next steps once the investigation is complete," said the Canadian agency, which has responsibility for regulating the importation of animals, in a statement.
"It was a nightmare"
A dog handler who came to pick up another animal from the airport cargo area where the puppies were discovered last Saturday described a "horror scene". "It was a nightmare," she testified for the public broadcaster CBC. "Canada and the federal government must change the laws on the importation of these puppies."
In a message posted on Facebook on Friday, the Ukrainian company UIA expressed "its condolences for the tragic loss of animal lives" on board one of its devices. The company "is working in cooperation with local authorities to determine what happened and to make the necessary changes to prevent such a situation from happening again," she promised.
A very lucrative market
For its part, the CFIA ensures that "Canada applies strict standards for the importation of animals in order to protect Canadian animals from the introduction of serious animal diseases". "All import requirements must be met before an animal is imported," says the agency.
According to an academic quoted by CBC, selling puppies is a lucrative market in Canada, where most buyers think the animals were raised in this country. This market is sometimes the subject of trafficking involving organized crime, according to him. "You are talking about 500 French bulldogs. If they are sold between 3,000 and 4,000 dollars (between 2,000 and 2,600 euros) each, that makes a lot of money, ”commented Professor Scott Weese of the University of Guelph (Ontario).
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