By Rhonda Lucas Donald
The HSUS Disaster Animal Response Team helped the Craig County Sheriff’s Office save nearly 1,600 sheep, goats, cattle and horses from starving and freezing when they arrived on a ranch near Vinta, Okla. Jan 19. More than 600 animals had already died.
HSUS Director of Field Rescue Response Jeff Eyre described what he and the team found on the scene of one of the largest animal cruelty cases known in the United States. “I saw no animals until we came to the house,” he said. “Then we saw bodies of animals lying on the porch and scattered around the house and yard. A closer look and it became clear this was a serious animal welfare issue. The sheep had huddled against the house as though looking for warmth, and that is where they died.” One sheep even became lodged in an all-terrain vehicle attempting to find shelter.
In the freezing weather, the animals, already weakened from an apparent lack of food, appeared not to be able to generate enough body heat to survive. Dale Fullerton of the Oklahoma State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners was part of the investigation. What he and other investigators found was that most of the water available to the animals was frozen, as was the pasture. With no hay or grain, the animals were slowly starving.
“There was a sheep that died against a fence. He just collapsed from inability to go on. It just really breaks my heart to think of the hours and days that these animals must have suffered prior to their deaths,” said Cynthia Armstrong,state program manager for the Southwest Regional Office of The HSUS.
Over the course of the next five days, the team helped the sheriff’s office remove the surviving animals. Ranch owner David Bell has been charged with animal cruelty, a felony in Oklahoma, and other charges are pending. This case may be the first in the state to which a bond law enacted last November will apply. Under the law, animal owners may be liable for the cost of animal care during a case’s adjudication unless they forfeit the animals.
A nearby rancher agreed to take care of the remaining animals until the case is resolved, and The HSUS was coordinating and overseeing volunteers who will continue to help in their care.
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| Lucky gets rescued. |
Amid such suffering, though, was one little miracle. While examining the dead animals on the porch, Eyre found a small puppy, hungry and dehydrated, but otherwise healthy. He became a source of inspiration for the team. “I didn’t realize how important he would become,” Eyre said. “It’s very rewarding to save an animal amidst such carnage.” Fullerton took the puppy, dubbed Lucky, under his wing and reported that he was doing fine.
The HSUS team commends the Craig County Sheriff’s Office, the local community, and the state of Oklahoma for their tremendous efforts in responding to this crisis.
Updated Jan. 24, 2007
