SACRAMENTO-
A walk through Reichmuth Park this took an unexpected turn this week for one park goer.
“When we walked this way there was a bag sitting here,” the woman, who wished to remain anonymous, told FOX40 Thursday.
Inside the bag was a small sheep with its head cut off.
“I feel like it’s not safe out here anymore, so I will have to go to a different park,” the woman said.
She called 311 and contacted FOX40.
FOX40 alerted Gina Knepp, director of city Animal Care Services.
“I was not aware of the case, did look it up, indeed we responded and were unable to locate the animal,” Knepp said.
After digging through 311 call data, they found something bigger.
“Something freaky’s going on and I’m hoping we can get to the bottom of it,” Knepp said.
Three more cases of dead animals discovered in the park over the past six weeks.
First: Jan. 8 – a dead goat inside a cardboard box.
Second: Jan. 28 – headless chickens inside a bag between the tennis courts.
Third: Feb. 1 – a dead tortoise in a brown paper bag near a tree.
Fourth: Feb. 17 – the small beheaded sheep in a bag near the trail.
“It’s not an isolated incident when you have four separate cases in the same park,” Knepp said.
Animal Care Services did not know about these incidents because the dead animals were treated as waste, and handled by different city departments.
Now that Knepp is aware, she is alarmed.
“It doesn’t appear to be the acts of a hunter,” she said. “If indeed it’s completely beheaded, I cant imagine it was done by another animal.”
Now, Animal Care Services is launching an investigation and alerting city police.
“It appears to be animal cruelty to me. Obviously, we don’t know, we don’t have enough information yet. But am I concerned? Absolutely,” Knepp said.
With no physical evidence, Knepp is hoping the public can help catch whoever is responsible.
“It is a crime and you can go to jail for it and if we find you, you will,” said Knepp.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Front Street Animal Shelter at (916) 808-8333.
