**Editor’s note:  Contents of article are graphic in description**

What had been part of a north Kamloops couple’s regular routine this past Friday would instead become a gruesome display of what people are sometimes capable of doing, and is prompting calls for increased patrols to ensure the wildlife on MacArthur Island is not further targeted.

Jan Bradley is suggesting better CSO coverage might also be warranted, after she and her husband John — who are nearly daily fixtures at the Mac Island Disc Golf Course — would try to get an early round of their favorite sport in, only to discover the remains of a horrific act.

The couple arrived at around 5:30am to beat the heat on July 10th and began playing their round when Jan Bradley — in conversation with Radio NL — says she noticed something red just off the walking path between the first and second tee pads.

“I walked towards it, and I could smell blood,” recalled Bradley. “As I got closer, I could see it was the body of an animal.”

That animal would later turn out to be one of the resident marmots which call MacArthur Island home.

“At first, I thought maybe a goose, but there was no head… the grass was wet with blood,” she said.

What could have been initially brushed off as a simple case of animal-on-animal predation would turn out to be anything but.

Bradley says as she was inspecting the remains of the dead animal she had discovered, as her husband went off to check the nearby children’s playground area, located about 60 feet away.

“He called me over to the playground and he said, ‘You need to see this, Jan,'” she said.

“There was the head, neck, shoulders, and arms of a marmot. And it was placed in the baby swing at the playground. It was still dripping blood.”

Bradley says she immediately alerted City of Kamloops Park staff who were arriving for their 6:00 a.m. shift.

When a staff member came to collect the remains, Bradley says it was then that she noticed the deliberate and disturbing nature of the act.

“It had been completely skinned. There was no fur,” Bradley explained, noting that she grew up next to a hunter and recognized the precision. “I thought, my goodness, this could be done professionally.”

City staff quickly removed the remains and thoroughly disinfected the playground, which is frequently used by nearby daycare centers.

Bradley says she gives a lot of credit to the Park staff, who she says were both swift and professional in their response to the traumatic scene.

She says the RCMP have since opened a file on the incident and are taking it very seriously, working alongside the Conservation Officer Service.

While MacArthur Island is home to natural predators like coyotes and eagles, Bradley notes this incident was clearly human-caused.

Admitting that she wouldn’t know what motivated the person responsible, Bradley says she believes the posing of part of the marmot’s remains in the playground’s baby swing was meant to shock those who came into that area.

Bradley is pleading with the public to be vigilant.

“I would love to see Parks do walkabouts… and [for visitors] not to be afraid to approach the City park staff,” Bradley urged. “If you have a question, flag them down if they’re on their Gators driving around and picking up garbage. Wave to them, call them if there’s a concern.”

MacArthur Island, designed primarily to serve local sports needs in Kamloops, does contain a fairly diverse ecosystem that includes resident marmots, as well as beavers, deer, owls, and over 20 Western painted turtles.

While she considers MacArthur Island generally very safe, Bradley notes there have been incidents in the past — albeit infrequent — where certain animals such as ducks, crows and marmots have been targeted by air guns.

For now, Bradley says she hopes that by speaking out on what she and her husband discovered on the Friday that Park-goers will keep their eyes open and help ensure the safety of both the community and the wildlife that call MacArthur Island home.

“I think people should leave the animals alone in the park, and they’ll leave you alone,” she said. “That’s the beauty of the park.”