Over 40 pet dogs have died of suspected poisoning recently in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, according to a statement by the Guangdong Pet Industry Association.

The association said in the statement released on Saturday that it had received multiple reports of suspected poisoning cases involving pet dogs. The reports came from several districts in Guangzhou, with Baiyun, Haizhu and Panyu districts seeing a higher number of cases.

The association has activated an emergency response mechanism and launched an investigation into the cases. The preliminary investigation shows that the poisoning incidents mainly occurred around Nov 8, the statement said.

The establishment of a special task force which is actively cooperating with the police investigation to resolve the cases, it said.

It also urged the public to report clues related to the incidents to the public security authorities or the association.