State Police, the American Humane Association and the Cattaraugus County SPCA went to a farm on Elton Road in Farmersville after a complaint from a Cattaraugus County highway employee on Saturday said a horse was down in a field.
7 Eyewitness News has learned there are more than 600 animals on the farm, including sheep, horses, turkeys, chickens and ducks. Investigators are examining the condition of all of the animals.
Donald and Bonnie George have each been charged with two counts of animal cruelty based on the conditions of their barn. Troopers say the owners of the farm are older and there is a possibility that they may not have been able to keep up with the farm work.
Several dogs have been taken away that the SPCA says didn't have proper shelters or licensing. The horse that sparked this investigation had to be euthanized.
"It [was] just in really bad shape, including the hooves and everything. The feet were bad so he couldn't move," said Cynthia Nupp, an animal cruelty investigator with the Cattaraugus County SPCA.
This isn't the first time Bonnie George has been accused of neglect.
In 2005, 44 horses were taken from her property for inhumane conditions.
Neighbor Eric Mead said, "There's no shelter for the horses. They're out 24/7 no matter the weather. If it's a blizzard it's just a terrible thing to see."
It is unclear if other animals will be removed, but the SPCA is asking for food donations for the over 600 animals due to this investigation. Call 716-372-8492 for more information on how you can help.
Investigators also checked out a farm owned by the Georges in Erie County, but did not find any signs of abuse.
(WKBW-TV - Feb 24, 2016)
I know these people! They got in trouble back in the early 90's for beating on a 12 year old retarded male foster child, and for molesting multiple teen aged female foster children. They had those foster children on that farm to work as slave labor! It was win-win for them, they got paid by the state to take care of the kids and they made the kids work in the barn every single day after school for about 6 to 8 hours. Those kids were not paid a dime for those days... weeks... and in some cases, months of labor.
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