LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Several deer legs and a cat carcass were found tied and hanging from trees in Iroquois Park in Louisville, and wildlife officials are investigating why.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife believe the cat may have been tied as a way to lure in coyotes and killed by poachers.
Kathryn Florshinger, who rides her horses though the back part of Iroquois Park off Sanders Gate Road nearly every day, was alerted to the carcasses by a hiker.
“It just makes you really sick and scared wondering -- especially with riding here every day -- who and what is in the woods here,” Florshinger said.
Near the carcasses were also dead squirrels and a dead possum. Chunks of bacon grease were placed next to the tied cat as a way to lure in larger animals.
The area is just a couple hundred feet from the equestrian track and former Louisville Metro Police barn. Homes are the same distance away in the other direction.
While baiting and hunting coyotes is legal in Kentucky, hunting is not allowed in Louisville's public parks.
“It's also heartbreaking,” said Joran Dye, who is a member of the “Friends of Iroquois Park” social media group. She said it’s clearly an animal cruelty case and is upset it’s in a park she loves so much.
“It's alarming, from a community aspect, that these kinds of things happen," she said.
Louisville Department of Parks and Recreation released a statement to WDRB News, saying it’s “aware of the issue and we're supporting Kentucky Fish and Wildlife and LMPD in the investigation."
Florshinger said she reported the carcasses to Kentucky State Police and the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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