CANADA has launched an investigation after some 500 puppies – 38 of them dead – were found on board a Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) plane at Toronto airport, said officials yesterday.

The surviving French bulldogs, a popular breed in Canada, suffered symptoms including dehydration, weakness and vomiting when they were found on the flight from Ukraine, which landed at Toronto Pearson Airport on June 13, said the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in a statement.

The agency “will determine the next steps once the investigation is complete”.

A dog handler who was picking up another animal from the airport’s cargo area where the puppies were discovered last weekend told CBC of a “horror scene”, adding: “It was a nightmare.”

UIA offered its “condolences for the tragic loss of animal life on our flight”, and said on Facebook it is working with local authorities.

Puppy sales are “lucrative” in Canada, Scott Weese of University of Guelph told CBC.

Most buyers believe the animals are bred in the country, but the reality is, “we have no idea how many dogs come in, where they go, where they come from”, he said, adding that there is “potentially some organised crime component”.

“You mentioned 500 French bulldogs. If those are going for sale at C$3,000 to C$4,000 (RM9,400 to RM12,500) a dog, that’s a massive amount of money.” – AFP, June 21, 2020.