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Cats at the Voice of the Animals Sanctuary. (HSUS/Guzy)
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The first thing they noticed was the stench. Then members of The HSUS, Idaho Humane Society and Bonner County Sheriff’s Department saw dead cats on the grounds of the Voice of the Animals Sanctuary in rural Blanchard, Idaho.
The Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant for animal cruelty on Sept. 6, at the sanctuary operated by Edwin J. Criswell and Cheryl L. Perkins. By the time all of the animals had been accounted for, more than 400 cats, and a number of dogs, goats and chickens had been found, many in extremely poor health.
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A Growing Trend |
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Animal hoarding is not just a problem in Idaho. HSUS staff members detect a rise in such cases nationwide. Last November, The HSUS assisted with one of the largest hoarding cases in Arkansas, involving nearly 500 dogs. The Arkansas facility was also a purported sanctuary. |
The animals were housed in and around nine dilapidated mobile homes on the property. Inside the trailers, the walls were soaked in urine and the floors caked with feces and filth. Veterinarian and IHS Executive Director Jeff Rosenthal described the cats as all being “infested with fleas and ear mites. The majority were also in an emaciated state and suffered with upper respiratory illnesses, chronic diarrhea and abscesses,” among other ailments. A veterinary team is still in the process of examining the animals and assessing their conditions.
The cats were surrendered by the sanctuary owners to IHS and removed to a temporary shelter that The HSUS is operating nearby. “We’ll care for the animals as long as needed,” said HSUS’s Inga Gibson, who assisted with the rescue as a member of the HSUS disaster services strike team. The team included a veterinarian and staff from Florida, Maryland and HSUS’s West Coast and Northern Rockies regional offices. “Once they are well enough," Gibson said, "cats will be transferred to area animal shelters for adoption.”
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Felony Level Cruelty Laws |
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• Idaho is one of only eight states that do not have felony level cruelty laws.
• Misdemeanors are generally only recorded within a county, making it difficult for law enforcement to track and monitor misdemeanor offenders. With a nearly 100 percent recidivism rate for animal hoarders, consistent monitoring and intervention are crucial. Animal hoarders often move to another county or state and start collecting animals again.
• Felony level penalties give law enforcement and animal control officials the tools and incentive to investigate such cases, expedite procedures, and allow for the tracking and monitoring of offenders.
• Felony level penalties may include fines, counseling referrals and intervention, impoundment of animals, and prohibitions on future ownership of animals, all of which are vital in deterring recidivism.
• In less than six months, Idaho has seen two of the largest animal hoarding cases in state history. In April 2006, 323 cats were rescued from a hoarder in Twin Falls. |
Criswell and Perkins have been charged with 21 counts each of neglect and cruelty to animals, charges that could result in a $300 fine and/or up to six months in jail per count. The HSUS and IHS are working with the Bonner County Sheriff’s Department and the prosecuting attorney to document the case.
Gibson described the case as typical of animal hoarding, a phenomenon in which people take in more animals than they are capable of caring for properly, endangering their own health as well as that of the animals in their charge. Hoarding has been linked to mental illness. “The defendants in such cases need psychological intervention,” Gibson said, “as well as ongoing monitoring, as recidivism is extremely high among animal hoarders."
“Owners need to beware,” Gibson cautioned. “Unsuspecting owners gave their cats to Voice of the Animals thinking it was a sanctuary. Surrendering a pet should always be a last resort. But if someone must do so, he or she should carefully investigate where the pet will go.”
The HSUS and IHS thanked the following agencies, which were vital to the rescue operation: Spokane Humane Society, SpokAnimal, Spokane County Regional Animal Protective Services, and Lewis Clark Animal Shelter in Lewiston, Idaho. Because of this collaborative effort, the cats have a chance at a better life.
“That’s the silver lining of these cases,” says Gibson. “Even though the animals have endured horrendous conditions, we can now place them in the loving homes they deserve.”
