Police probing alleged animal poisoning at London Pride event

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Police are investigating after organizers say animals from a petting zoo may have been poisoned at a weekend Pride event at a London park.

Six animals from Little Hobby Hill Farm, a petting zoo in Salford, were part of Oakridge Pride, a volunteer-run, family-focused celebration for LGBTQ communities at Oakridge Optimist Park on Saturday organized by Wortley Pride.

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London police Const. Matthew Dawson could not confirm numbers but petting zoo owner Bethany Tout said of the six zoo animals there, one animal was put down Saturday after having uncontrolled seizures, another Sunday, and a third had symptoms Monday.

The animals will be brought to a postmortem lab at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, but Tout said a veterinarian told her the cause was possibly a rodenticide – rat poison – or a pesticide. One animal from the petting zoo in the community southeast of Ingersoll was a Patagonian Cavy, a rabbit-like rodent native to Argentina, and another was  guinea pig. 

“We’ve definitely felt the effects of losing animals and so traumatically,” Tout said Monday. “I’d just really hate to think that somebody would do this on purpose to animals. They’re so innocent, and they can’t fend for themselves.”

Organizers Wortley Pride posted on Facebook on Monday that a “senseless act of hate was perpetrated” during the family event, which included live music and performers along with the petting zoo.

The post alleges rat poison was intentionally left in the grass. “These actions are vindictive and filled with hate. The individuals who perpetrated this hate crime . . . must be found and charged,” the post said.

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Stevie Bees was at the event with their children, who were playing with the animals.

“I found out from the organizers” about the deaths of the petting zoo animals, Bees said.

Attendee Sydnie Straal said on Facebook she attended the event where there were “so many people just chilling and loads of smiles! It was perfect! Then this? This has got to stop.”

A fundraiser has been set to help with veterinary costs for the ill animals.

Dawson said in an email London police are aware of the incident and are investigating.

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