Three horses have been found dead and decaying on crown land near Grasmere.
The RCMP were called by someone who had found the horses behind their property.
An SPCA officer joined the police officer and will be carrying out an investigation into the deaths.
Sgt. Dave Dubnyk from the Elk Valley RCMP said it was hard to tell the cause of death of the animals because they had significantly decomposed.
“Due to the level of decay of the animals it was hard to tell if they had been euthanised, starved or what,” he said.
“It was even hard to tell how long they had been there because the bodies had been picked at by birds and other scavengers.”
He said the horses’ owners were identified and were out of town at the time.
Dubnyk said there were a number of issues involved with the case, such as environmental and wildlife concerns.
“Having the animals just lying there can attract wildlife like bears into an inhabited area,” he said. “Also when animals are left to decay there is the possibility of contamination of drinking water.
“So there are a number of things being investigated. The SPCA are looking into the cruelty side of it.”