Skunk caught in trap tossed in Kam River (2 Photos)

THUNDER BAY — A Thunder Bay family's Sunday outing took an unfortunate turn when they encountered a case of animal cruelty.

They were about to put their boat in the Kam River at a launch site near the south end of Syndicate Avenue when they found a cage with a skunk trapped inside and submerged in the water.

Kirsten Prokopetz said her six-year-old daughter actually made the discovery.

"We didn't know what it was at first. We started pulling it out and we realized that it was a skunk in a trap. So I dragged it onto shore," Prokopetz said. "The skunk was drowned in a couple feet of water."

She described the behaviour of the perpetrator as "cruel and disgusting," adding "They could have just let the skunk go. They didn't have to drown it like that."

Prokopetz placed a call the same day to the City of Thunder Bay Animal Services department.

A spokesperson for the city told TBNewswatch an officer was sent to retrieve the carcass but the cage was no longer there.

Animal Services' role does not include investigating cases of animal cruelty.

When it encounters a situation where there's evidence of a crime, the department notifies police and/or the Ontario Animal Protection Call Centre.