RSPCA investigates the death of animals found in a garden pond

The shocking discovery was made in Epsom

Author: Greg DeanPublished 12th Jun 2024

The RSPCA is investigating after a man found the bodies of five dogs and foxes floating in his garden pond in Epsom.

He raised the alarm and RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Ben Fitzcosta went to the scene in Spring Street on Monday (10 June).

Ben said: “The call came into our control centre as five dead puppies found floating in a pond, believed to have been drowned.

“Upon looking more carefully at the bodies we now believe there to be a mix of young terrier type dogs and juvenile foxes. There are no clear injuries or cause of death to the animals so it’s an incredibly unusual and suspicious scenario.

“This was a shocking and upsetting discovery and we’re concerned about how these animals have died and what suffering they may have endured.”

The bodies were found on Sunday but the finder isn’t sure how long they’d been there. They were in an ornamental pond with walled edges, inside a private walled garden in the centre of the town.

The man who found the animals removed them from the wall and put them in a plastic bag before calling the RSPCA due to the suspicious nature of the incident.

“We suspect these animals have been killed somewhere else and their bodies have then been dumped in the pond,” Ben added. “We’ve launched an investigation and are appealing for witnesses who saw anything suspicious in the area over the weekend to get in touch with us.”

Anyone with information should call the RSPCA appeal line on 0300 123 8018, quoting incident number 1279603.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Greatest Hits Radio app.