The Edmonton Humane Society (EHS) announced Friday that it has voluntarily called on a third party to investigate an incident in which three cats being transferred by the organization were forgotten in a transport vehicle for weeks.
The organization also revealed former Edmonton city councillor Kim Krushell has volunteered “to oversee the process to ensure the investigation is fair, thorough and transparent.”
The investigation comes after public backlash against the organization after it emerged that an EHS crew picked up some animals from another shelter on March 27 and, according to the EHS, “upon return to Edmonton, during the unloading of the animals, three cats were unknowingly left in the vehicle.”
READ MORE: Edmonton Humane Society ‘open to investigation’ after cats forgotten in transport vehicle
Watch below: On June 4, 2018, Sarah Kraus filed this report on an incident involving the Edmonton Human Society after three cats were accidentally left in a transport van for weeks.
The cats were not discovered until three weeks later when staff were getting ready for another animal transfer. The animals were found to be dehydrated and hungry. They also had mild urine burns on their paws but were “alert and responsive,” according to the EHS.
All three cats involved in the incident have since been rehomed, according to EHS CEO Miranda Jordan-Smith.
The EHS conducted an internal review following the incident and produced an eight-page document to cover every step in the transport process, including checks and double-checks for staff who load, unload and receive animals.
Some people raised concerns over the EHS investigating itself. On Friday, the EHS said the third-party investigation has been launched to “independently probe what happened and make concrete recommendations to improve animal safety and staff practices and policies.”
READ MORE: Legal expert questions Edmonton Humane Society investigating itself in case of forgotten cats
“A private investigative firm will conduct the interviews and analyze any related evidence or documents,” the EHS said in a news release.
The organization said it expects the findings of the external investigation to be released before the end of summer.
“Our non-profit organization is extremely remorseful about this incident,” Jordan-Smith said in a news release on Friday.
“We’ve been providing compassionate and high-quality animal welfare services in our community for more than 100 years and while incidents like this are rare, we need to learn from mistakes.”