Mystery Pet Deaths Alarm El Progresso Residents
Something is killing pets in El Progresso Seven Miles Village, and residents want answers. Over the past few days, several dogs and cats have turned up dead under unexplained circumstances in the Cayo District community. While no official cause has been confirmed, some residents fear the animals may have been poisoned. The deaths have alarmed pet owners, prompting reports to village authorities and police. Today, we spoke with one resident about what has been happening on the ground, and a veterinarian explained what the animals’ symptoms may suggest.
On the Phone: EL Progresso Seven Miles Resident
On the Phone: EL Progresso Seven Miles Resident
“That day was, like, three days, three nights ago, when actually my dog had that actually, we saw that he was acting a little different. But definitely I think that it’s actually poison, you know?”
Britney Gordon
“How was your dog acting?”
On the Phone: EL Progresso Seven Miles Resident
“Well, actually he started to have like, like foaming coming out of his mouth and then he was actually like, like trembling, you know? It was just five dogs total and a cat. But the thing is that there’s actually a area where they actually farm there also, very close to where we live. So we don’t know if maybe someone put something, to kill iguanas, you know, or maybe rats or something. I would like to find out because it’s very hard for us because the thing is that I was out of the country for a week and I normally just used to tie my dog. BAHA actually called me yesterday and they said that they were going to reach, because they was, they were concerned about it also. But they never reached because they were asking me if there was another dog that had a little contact with one of the other dogs that died.”
Dr. Orlando Baptist
Dr. Orlando Baptist, Veterinarian
“The first thing that went to my mind was it’s most likely it’s poisoning. I mean, distemper is a viral infection. It does causes seizure, but not to that extent. And then it approaches, it just don’t get like that abrupt. And then it’s preventable with vaccines. But now in this case that, that, that I saw in the clip on, on Facebook, they were like violent seizures. I mean, the only other thing that comes to my mind from all my years working, you know, as a vet would be poisoning because there were violent seizures and then multiple at the same time, multiple animals, and they’re saying that what’s causing the animals to die. So definitely to me it seems to be, although I haven’t seen the animals up close, from the symptoms it seems to be it’s most likely poisoning.”
Veterinarian Orlando Baptist says animals suspected of being poisoned should be taken to a veterinarian immediately, as they often require supportive treatment to improve their chances of survival.
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.