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MILTON, Ont. – Police say the skinning of a cow shown on a video circulating online is not being treated as an animal cruelty case but the incident is being probed to ensure food safety regulations were followed.

Halton regional police say the cow appeared to be dead at the time of the events shown in the video, contrary to what many people asserted after viewing it.

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Staff Sgt. Paul Davies says the video appears to have been shot in a rural area near Milton, Ont., where a temporary mosque was established.

Davies says the video was shot around the Muslim holiday of Eid.

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He says that while police have no reason to believe the cow was slaughtered in a cruel manner, officers are still investigating to ensure the animal’s death was in line with the Food Safety and Quality Act.

Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture says it has also launched an investigation into the incident, and has described the scene shown in the video as “disgusting and gruesome.”