Grizz, a trainee bomb detector puppy was shot dead by the New Zealand police at Auckland International Airport, because he was running around the airport uncontrollably.
Officials claim that as flights were being delayed due to the ruckus caused by the little dog, it was killed.
The puppy was chased around the airport for three hours, but instead of using a tranquiliser gun, Grizz was shot dead.
Grizz, a 10-month-old mixed breed, was undergoing training to become an Aviation Security Explosion Detector; he was only six months away from graduating.
The ruckus delayed 16 flights, and after three hours, airport authorities asked the police to shoot him.
The dog was being handled by Noel Thorburn at the airport before he escaped, tvnz.co.nz reported.
"He has over 30 years experience with dogs and they are his passion. His job is to serve and protect our airport and people are disrespecting him for that," Noel's son Nicky Thorburn stated and called this incident a tragic accident.
A spokesman from Safe, a New Zealand animal rights organisation said that it was "appalled about the needless killing of this dog", as reported by New Zealand Herald.
"A tranquilliser gun should have been used after efforts to catch the dog failed. If such a gun was not available - which it should - then they could have borrowed one from Auckland Zoo or elsewhere," he added.
The airport authority has been slammed on social media:
Embarrassed to be a kiwi today. Killing a dog so flights can continue Auckland Airport. No excuse! Disgusting #poordog #aucklandairport
— juliette banks (@julzbanks) March 16, 2017
After Harambe and Grizz, why don't we just make all guns tranquiliser guns?
— Jo Thornely (@jothornely) March 16, 2017
This is not the first incident where an animal has been killed unnecessarily. A gorilla called Harambe too was killed last year at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio, US.
The gorilla was shot dead after a four-year-old boy climbed over the barricade and ended up landing in the gorilla's enclosure.
After the killing the boy's mother received death threats by outraged animal lovers.
The mother reacted to this stating: "As a society we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes off of their child and if anyone knows me I keep a tight watch on my kids. Accidents happen but I am thankful that the right people were in the right place today," she wrote on Facebook, news.com.au reported.
