Sunday, May 17, 2009

Animal hoarders out of control

By Amanda Woods, The Sydney Morning Herald

ANIMAL "hoarding" is costing the RSPCA up to $1 million a year.

About 15 per cent of the group's anti-cruelty enforcement budget now goes towards fighting legal challenges from accused hoarders who accumulate an average of 30 animals in their homes.

One case involved the discovery of 270 cats in one Sydney house.

In some cases animals never leave the house or are kept in cages in a home, resulting in a build-up of faeces and carcasses.

About 200 hoarding cases have been uncovered in the past year. It is believed that 20,000 animals are kept in hoarding conditions in NSW.

Despite dead animals being in her bath, the woman who owned the 270 cats still believed she was doing the right thing..."  More