Police have hired a veterinarian to see if the mysterious deaths of cats in Langley and Maple Ridge were caused by humans.
The move comes as the B.C. SPCA and Ridge Meadows and Langley RCMP detachments probe the suspicious deaths of cats in Brookswood and the central Maple Ridge area.
There have been a high number of reported cases in Maple Ridge and Langley which occurred between June, 2011 and this month.
At this time it has not been clearly established that all of the reported cat deaths are the direct result of human actions, as it can be extremely easy to confuse the actions of a natural predator with those of a human, police said.
"The joint investigation with the SPCA is ongoing, and we’re engaging experts in this field," said Insp. Dave Fleugel, operations officer for Ridge Meadows RCMP.
"Ridge Meadows RCMP Serious Crimes Unit is regularly collaborating with SPCA’s investigators and Langley RCMP
Serious Crimes. Police crime analysts are also tracking and analyzing the reports, and we have been in contact with the RCMP’s Behavioral Science Group, who profile and track deviant, and unusual criminal behaviour. We have received tips from citizens, which we are responding to (and) I encourage anyone else with information to call the
RCMP or SPCA."
The RCMP has been working alongside the SPCA since the original reports surfaced last year. There was a significant gap of reported incidents over the winter months, and the number of reports increased this spring.
Insp. Stephan Drolet, the operations support officer at the Langley RCMP detachment, said that the Lower Mainland District Integrated Forensic Identification Service is helping to determine if human DNA can be recovered.
A veterinarian has been hired to determine if the deaths are the result of human action, or a predatory animal. The veterinarian is performing necropsies to find the exact cause of death.
"We have placed a high priority on getting to the bottom of this, and commit to continue to work with the SPCA, and other experts, to provide the community with answers,” Fleugel said..
Anyone with any information on the cat deaths is asked to contact SPCA Cst. Eilleen Drever at 604 575-2249, Ridge Meadows RCMP at 604 463-6251, or Langley RCMP at 604 532-3200.
Here is a map detailing where the killings have taken place.