CALIFORNIA -- Three pit bulls early Friday morning attacked animals at the Reedley High farm, killing 19 rabbits and 52 chickens. In addition, two pigs – Penelope and Buddy – were seriously injured in the attack, said RHS ag teacher Carlos Lopez.
Both pigs have only a small chance of surviving, Lopez said.
Staff in the Kings Canyon Unifed transportation department – which is near the farm – heard dogs barking, which triggered a call to police, according to Lopez. The call came in about 6 a.m., said Reedley Police Sgt. Sean Provost.
Officers captured one of the dogs in the farm, but the other two escaped.
Police took the captured dog to the city's animal pound and officers were looking for the other two.
The school farm is in the northwest corner of the campus. It appears that the dogs burrowed under a chain-link fence with barbed wire on top to gain entry to the farm, Lopez said.
Once inside, the dogs tore through chicken wire and chewed through wood to get at some of the animals in cages. The metal hinge of one cage door was torn off. There were no animals in that cage.
Among the dead rabbits was Ferdinand, which RHS ag students had adopted as a pet. "The kids took turns taking him home on the weekends, feeding him and playing with him," Lopez said.
He added that no one in the RHS ag program can remember an attack of this nature.
RHS junior Rambob Ramos lost 15 chickens in the attack. He also owns Penelope and he said he is attached to the pig. Ramos said Penelope enjoys playing in the water.
Lopez said it is the responsibility of dog owners to keep their dogs from roaming: "People need to be more vigilant. Today it was our animals. Next it could be somebody's child."
(reedleyexponent.com - May 17, 2013)
