CANDO, N.D.-- The Towner County Sheriff's Office is investigating a burglary at a swine farm and potential animal cruelty toward the stolen pigs that reportedly took place last week.
Sheriff Dustin Kuchar told the Herald his office responded to a report of a burglary at Dakota Country Swine, a pig farm outside Cando, N.D., that took place the night of May 16. His office also is looking into whether the stolen livestock were abused at a party the same evening, including claims some of the animals were burned.
There are suspects in the case, but none have been charged yet, Kuchar said.
A video of the incident was reportedly posted to social media but has since been removed.
"I've heard there is video but have not seen it," Kuchar said.
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James Clay, general manager of the burglarized Dakota Country Swine farm, said it appears some livestock were taken from the farm. He said there are typically around 18,000 pigs at the facility.
"We don't know the full details of what happened," Clay said, adding there have been a number of rumors regarding the incident.
There is concern on the farm that the burglars may have put the facility's hygiene in jeopardy, Clay said.
Swine farms are required to keep strict sanitation processes in place to prevent the spread of disease between pigs and people.
