New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
Acushnet residents out for a leisure stroll behind the Lake Street parking area near the New Bedford Reservoir made a gruesome discovery. Two bags of dead animals wrapped in duct tape, one containing a guinea pig and another with a cat.
Acushnet Police contacted the Animal Rescue League of Boston to assist in the investigation since the advanced stage of decomposition made it difficult to discover whether they were abused and tossed, or something else had happened. With the cat, it may perhaps have died due to being run over or struck by a car, and the guinea pig of natural causes.
The Animal Rescue League veterinary team conducted a forensic exam and discovered that the cat had several skull fractures but no other injuries to its body which ruled out the possibility of being run over.
The findings are preliminary and not conclusive as it has been some weeks even months since the animals were discarded which made it difficult to determine if injuries were either pre-mortem or post-mortem.
If you think you may have seen something suspicious or someone tossing garbage bags behind the woodline in the area you can contact the Acushnet Police Department (508-998-0240) or the Animal Rescue League of Boston (617) 426-9170.
