WARNING: The video above contains graphic and disturbing content. EDMONTON - Alberta's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says it's investigating allegations of abuse at a hog facility in Red Deer. An animal rights group has released a video taken at the Western Hog Exchange facility that shows hogs being kicked and struck with what appears to be a club. Mercy for Animals Canada says the video was taken undercover and it also shows some of the animals limping and others crammed into a corral.

In a statement, Alberta SPCA spokesman Roland Lines says the video he has viewed is very disturbing. The Western Hog Exchange has posted a statement on its website saying it has also launched an independent investigation with third-party experts in animal care and transportation. Chairman Brent Moen says he viewed the footage last month, and what he saw strays far from its standards. "Many of the images we saw on the video were shocking and disturbing, and they are not in keeping with the animal care training and policies in place at WHE," Moen said in the statement.