A hiker on the Appalachian Trail made a disturbing discovery over the weekend. Someone had left dog treats that had been filled with fishhooks.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission said the tainted treats were found near the George W. Outerbridge shelter in Lehigh County. The shelter is not far from the North Trailhead.
The Game Commission said, “Items like these could prove deadly to any animal that consumes them, including wild and domesticated animals,” WGAL reported.
The Appalachian Trail stretches through 14 states on the East Coast between Georgia and Maine, WHTM reported. First thought of in 1921 and built by private citizens until 1937, the trail is more than 2,190 miles long.
It is run by the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, state agencies and “thousands of volunteers,” the National Park Service said.
Dogs are allowed on portions of the trail on National Park Service land, but they must be leashed.