Veterinarians this week will examine 11 skinned animal carcasses found in a trash container Saturday to determine what kind of animals they are.

An employee found the carcasses that had been skinned, decapitated and had their feet cut off in a trash container behind a pizza restaurant on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard about 4:30 p.m.

The animals were taken to Hillsborough County Animal Services and stored in freezers, said spokeswoman Marti Ryan. Veterinarians will conduct their examination after the Memorial Day weekend, she said.

This isn't the first time animal carcasses have been found in the county, and they may be tied to religious ceremonies that involve animal sacrifice, she said.

Though deputies said the animals may have been large dogs, they could be livestock, Ryan said.

"I'm not entirely convinced they're canines," she said.

Some religions involve animal sacrifice and the followers sometimes don't get rid of the bodies properly.

"They just dispose of them where they feel like," Ryan said. "It's very shocking and very disturbing."