Puerto Rican Pet Massacre

Puerto Rican animal control workers hurled dozens of seized cats and dogs 50 feet from a bridge in the town of Barceloneta, authorities said Friday.

The town's mayor, Sol Luis Fontanez, hired the private company Animal Control Solutions to remove pets from housing projects after residents were warned of their no-pet policy.

The city paid the company $60 for every animal recovered and $100 more for each trip that they made to a nearby animal shelter in the San Juan suburb of Carolina.

The Puerto Rican Tourism Company (PRTC) and the government of Puerto Rico released a statement condemning these acts and classifying them as "cruel, inhumane and shameless actions committed by indecent people."

It was locals that alerted authorities on Tuesday of the scene of 50 animal corpses strewn under the bridge. Authorities immediately covered the area with lime to control the mounting stench.

Residents told TV reporters that the workers came in on Monday and Tuesday and raided their homes for pets. After, residents reported that the animals were injected. When they asked what it was, the workers told them that it was a sedative for the drive to the shelter.

Animal Control Solutions owner Julio Diaz denies the allegations, saying that he is still not convinced that the dead animals are the ones that his company collected.

The PRTC and the Puerto Rican government maintain that this is an isolated incident. "This is the first time that the island has encountered such a situation," they said in their release.

Nonetheless, Puerto Rico's treatment of pets has been widely criticized. Stray pets run rampant on an island with little spaying and neutering. The country also doesn't have a pet registration law.

Government officials are set to meet to determine how to enforce regulations set forth by Puerto Rico's State Animal Control Association. Also on the agenda is the civil repercussions and penalties that the responsible parties will be held liable to.

Animals Control Solutions is currently being investigated as the lead suspect in the case. Furthermore, Fontanez said he has cancelled his contract with the company.

Residents involved in the raid are being urged to help compile evidence and testimonials for the investigation. The Public Housing Administration is dispatching psychologists and social workers to visit the affected families.