Whistler sled dog cull

The Whistler sled dog cull was a controversial cull of 56 sled dogs in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, that prompted investigation by the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). It occurred on April 21 and April 23, 2010, performed by Robert Fawcett, who later filed a claim at WorkSafeBC for post-traumatic stress disorder. Fawcett, an employee of Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc., was allegedly told to euthanize the dogs because of a downturn in business after the 2010 Olympic Games.

The incident took place at Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc. (under operational control by Outdoor Adventures Whistler), a company that provided sled dog tours to tourists, and had had orders filed against it by the SPCA in 2006. Robert Fawcett, an employee of Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc., filed a workers' compensation claim with WorkSafeBC for post-traumatic stress disorder after being told to kill 56 sled dogs in April 2010 because of a downturn in bookings following the 2010 Olympic Games, after a veterinarian refused to euthanize the healthy dogs. Fawcett alleged "execution-style killings" in which he wrestled dogs to the ground, stood on them, and shot them or slit their throats. The dogs were then dumped into mass graves. A statement from Outdoor Adventures Whistler, the parent company, stated that "OAW was aware of the relocation and euthanization of dogs at Howling Dogs in April 2010 but it was our expectation that it was done in a proper, legal and humane manner."

An investigation was launched by the B.C. SPCA, hiring a team of forensic experts. It was estimated to cost up to $225,000, half of which would be provided by the B.C. government. It was called "one of the world's biggest ever animal cruelty cases" by Mail Online, and the most complex investigation the SPCA has ever undertaken by Marcie Moriarty, General Manager of cruelty investigations for the B.C. SPCA. The excavation was completed on May 9, 2011, and recovered the bodies of 56 dogs.

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