The Innocent Animal Criminals!

Taken from leelofland.com

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/weirdnewsvideo/7954865/Cannabis-growers-used-bears-as-guards.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7954095/Wild-dopey-bears-used-to-guard-marijuana-crop-in-Canada.html

Well, we have heard of animal detectives and crimes against animals. But what about animals as accomplices to a crime? It's definitely not unheard of but yes, is unusual.
In Canada this week, the police have alleged that a couple in their 40s used a team comprising of black bears, raccoons and pigs to guard their marijuana fields, as part of their illegal drugs operation. The police have arrested the couple.

Whether the wild animals were actually guarding the fields or were simply pets just roaming around is uncertain.Even as the detectives and the police conducted the raids, the animals were very gentle and didn't harm the officials in any manner.
So maybe in a way, they were just helping the police by not interfering?!

Another crucial aspect in this case was that by involving the animals in the illegal operation, the couple faced charges for cruelty against animals. Rightly so, as it was against the law to feed them and could have caused a lot of damage to the animals' health.

The bigger idea of having animal accomplices to an otherwise 'human crime', initially sounded very funny to me, not that I didn't know that such incidents take place.In India where I live, I have heard of umpteen number of examples of such crimes, especially monkey crimes. Monkeys are trained by expert men to steal valuables, which are later on taken by those men only and then nobody suspects them as they were nowhere in the 'scene of crime'. 
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-monkey_0725edi.State.Edition1.176c879.html
Remember, the English movie "Dunston Checks In", which showed how the villain had this orangutan, trained to steal precious valuables from a high ended hotel. The orangutan would be rewarded or punished (by getting beaten badly) by his master, depending on whether he stole enough in quantity and quality. The master otherwise was never suspected as he came across as very dignified and honourable.

On the whole, it is a serious offence.It is an offence against the people who get victimized due to these crimes. It is also an offence against the animals who are (mis)used to attain wrong ends, who unwittingly end up helping in carrying out crime.In training them, punishing them and even 'rewarding' them (example by feeding them with something unfit for their consumption), they face conditions unsuitable for them.

There's an urgent need to put a check to it!