A group of dead animals found in a Southern California neighborhood on Friday has prompted an investigation into how they ended up there.
A cat, a seagull, a crow and several pigeons were found dead near Sunset Boulevard and Rosemont Avenue in Echo Park, and officials from PETA said they were laid out in a specific position.
"The animals were laid out in a circular position here," PETA spokesman Liam Cronin said.
The cat was in the middle, the birds left in what appeared to be a circle around the feline. PETA staffers noticed the animals as they walked by on their way to lunch.
Now, PETA is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.
"There's no external harm to the animals," Cronin said. "There might be some internal poisoning. We just don't know yet. We're not sure."
Cronin said that whatever did happen, it may have violated California's anti-cruelty statute.
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"People are seeing more and more in the news that animal cruelty is taken very very seriously. And in addition to that, the American Psychological Association will tell you that animal cruelty is a often precursor to violence against humans," Cronin said. "So anyone who just dismisses a dead cat, a dead seagull and other dead animals as just nothing big is potentially a time bomb."
Anyone with information is asked to contact PETA directly at 757-622-7382, ext. 8037.
