Australian authorities are investigating the brutal killing of at least six kittens found in a public park Tuesday morning.
According to Yahoo7, police responded to Crestwood Reserve in New South Wales after receiving a report from the jogger who found the animals.
Each of the kittens, estimated to have been between six and eight months old, were stabbed, investigators reported. The tails were removed from four of the animals.
6 kittens found mutilated, tortured and stabbed in Sydney https://t.co/Kfbu3DLYA6 pic.twitter.com/FvXudOdJxF
— Zesty Europe News (@zesty_europe) November 28, 2017
An Animal Welfare League spokesperson said an array of injuries were identified in a postmortem analysis of the kittens.
According to the source, the animals sustained injuries related to “significant blunt force” and several suffered serious spinal damage.
“It’s horrific, our detectives are really determined to find the person responsible,” the spokesperson said.
Inspector Jamie Wakefield said the extent of the torture is beyond what the agency typically sees.
“This is a very serious example of animal cruelty, and it appears that these innocent kittens were tortured and in immense pain prior to their deaths,” Wakefield said.
As the Daily Telegraph reported, detectives believe the animals were dumped at the park after they had been tortured at a separate location.
The investigation is ongoing and authorities are asking anyone with information about the crime to visit awlnsw.com.au and leave an anonymous tip, according to the Daily Mail.
Wakefield emphasized the importance of finding the person or persons responsible, adding that investigators “would like to ensure we are able to find and prosecute them before they can inflict more cruelty on other animals in the area.”
[Featured image: Pixabay]
