Thursday, June 21, 2012

Tulsa SPCA rescues 71 mistreated animals from central Oklahoma Read more from this Tulsa World




By CHASE COOK 



A central Oklahoma Sheriff's Department rescued 18 goats, 42 chickens, eight rabbits, two border collies and a pig from an undisclosed location in central Oklahoma, according to a news release. The animals were malnourished and standing in their own feces and among the remains of dead animals, officials said. 


Lori Hall, Tulsa SPCA director, said raids like this aren't common, but they are occurring more frequently, possibly due to lack of space issues in the state, she said. 


"Oklahoma is just running out of land," Hall said. 


Cruelty and hoarding charges are going to be pressed against the man who was holding the animals, Hall said. 


The location of the raid and photos of the home where the animals were kept will remain undisclosed until later in the week to promote a fair trial, she said. 


The goats were the most visually distressed animals, with their rib cages and backbones clearly visible. The goats looked as if they hadn't had nourishment for a long time, Hall said. 


"If they are loving this grass, that tells you a lot," she said. 


But lack of visual evidence doesn't tell the whole story, Hall said. The chickens were being kept in a semi-trailer full of dead chickens and feces, she said. 


"They said it was about ankle deep," Hall said. 


The rabbits were in such bad condition that they were dying as they were loaded up to be transported to the center. 


"They had to leave the ones that didn't make it behind," Hall said. 


The animals are being housed at the Tulsa SPCA center, and the livestock will be moved to foster care later this week until they are healthy enough for adoption, Hall said. The other animals will remain at the center until they can be adopted..."  More

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