Dozens of starving animals rescued

OHIO -- Dozens of malnourished farm animals found at a Saybrook Township residence this week have found a happy home with a Ravenna rescue agency.

Meanwhile, charges are pending against the animals’ owner, who had been out of the area on a trip, said Tammy Dondorfer, animal welfare director for the Ashtabula County Animal Protective League.

The county prosecutor’s office is examining a report on the incident, she said.

Some 54 poultry — including roosters, hens and a couple of ducks — as well as two goats and a calf were found living without food, water or adequate shelter, said Dondorfer. Five dead birds were found on the property, she said.

“It was freezing and nobody was on the property,” she said.

Dondorfer discovered the situation while driving past the North Bend Road property early this week.

Distressed animals could be spotted from the road, she said. Once on the property, Dondorfer said she was mobbed by the starving birds.

“They were flocking all over me,” she said. “They were looking for food.”

Some of the birds, exposed to winter weather, had tried to find shelter from the winter weather under a porch, Dondorfer said. Some animals were in better shape than others, probably because they pushed aside others for whatever food had originally been available, she said.

The 6-month-old calf was particularly undernourished, officials said. Rabbits discovered on the property have already found new homes, Dondorfer said.

The owner reportedly told authorities he had left the animals in the care of a neighbor, Dondorfer said. However, the poor condition of some of the animals began before the owner left on his trip, she said.

On Wednesday morning, Dr. Anna Moseley, the APL’s veterinarian, brought the animals to the APL shelter in Kingsville Township for transfer to the care of the Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary, based in Ravenna. Four Happy Trails volunteers placed the birds into crates and led the four-legged survivors to a trailer. Homes will be found for the animals; none will be slaughtered, officials said.

Happy Trails is a support organization for humane-based societies and law enforcement that operates in several states, said Annette Fisher, executive director. “Whatever state requests our help,” she said.

Some of Happy Trails’ charges have been placed in Ashtabula County, Fisher said.

(Star Beacon - Dec 5, 2013)