Quebec provincial police said Tuesday that the rotting animal carcasses found on the outskirts of a town near Quebec City were not dogs, but coyotes, fishers, ducks and raccoons.

Police were investigating after citizens discovered up to 27 dead animals on the side of a road in Cap-Sante, about 50 kilometres southwest of the provincial capital.

Citizens feared they were dead dogs, but police called in employees from the Wildlife Department who confirmed they were not.

"The investigation on our end is therefore over," police spokesperson Christine Coulombe said in a news release.

Police said the carcasses had been lying in the area for at least six months.