Global outcry has caused the mass death of more than 50 cats left in the Abu Dhabi desert to die.

Rescuers they found 50 dead cats and more 95 to wander skeletonized in the desert. Among the rescued animals is a golden retriever, while a husky was found dead. Some of the animals were microchipped, so they were not strays.

As reported by CNN, the animals had been abandoned in the desert opposite the Abu Dhabi State Animal Sanctuary. The shelter, however, said it knew nothing about the incident and declined to comment further.

It is noted that the temperature in Abu Dhabi in September reaches up to 40 degrees Celsius, while in the desert it can be even higher.

Animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the identification of the perpetrators. “This inhuman act must not be swept under the carpet. The solution for strays is spays and adoptions from shelters,” Jason Baker, PETA’s Middle East vice president, told CNN.

The government said Wednesday it would investigate the incident and encouraged the public to come forward with information.

A group of residents in the United Arab Emirates found more than 140 cats dumped on a desert plot in the capital Abu Dhabi, in a phenomenon that has drawn criticism from international animal rights groups and prompted a government investigation.

Cats of all breeds, including non-native varieties such as Persianswere left to die trapped in their trunks or wandered the desert without food, shelter or water, according to Chiku Shergill, an Abu Dhabi resident who participated in the rescue.

The animals were abandoned on the highway from the Abu Dhabi State Animal Sanctuary in al Falah, a residential area in Abu Dhabi. The shelter told CNN it was unaware of the incident and declined to comment further.

September temperatures reach a high of 40.5 C (105 F) in Abu Dhabi city. Desert temperatures can be higher during the day. The episode has drawn criticism from international animal rights organizations and activists.

for information about “whoever dumped these cats in the desert,” PETA’s vice president for Asia, Jason Baker, said in a statement to CNN.

“This act of cruelty should not be swept under the carpet… The solution to the animal homelessness crisis is sterilization and adoption from overworked and understaffed shelters, which PETA Asia is asking the UAE to demand here and years,” Baker said.