The gruesome discovery of two skinned and beheaded coyotes in east London does not appear related to a similar find last year.
The two carcasses were found Monday behind a retail property near Clarke Rd. and Trafalgar St.
Judy Foster, executive director of the London Humane Society, says there were initial concerns that the pair were dogs.
"When you look at them it is very hard to tell what they are, they could easily be dogs," says Foster. "We got them assessed by the Ministry of Natural Resources so we know that they are coyotes."
A necropsy has yet to be performed but Foster believes the coyotes were shot to death.
Last March, two dead coyotes were found at Western University. Another two pairs were later found in wooded areas in Parkhill and Ailsa Craig. Foster says they are confident the incidents are not related.
"These coyotes were left in a very gruesome way. The other coyotes were placed nicely in snow with their bodies intact. We don't think it was the same person or persons involved in this," says Foster.
Hunting coyotes is legal with a license, however Foster says dumping their carcasses in this manner is not acceptable.
"There are acceptable ways of disposing of wild life that has been hunted and this is not an acceptable way," she says. "We don't know if these coyotes were hunted legally. It is absolutely legal to hunt coyotes, but to dump them is not acceptable."