The SPCA called on us to take in 9 goats, 7 geese and 6 rabbits as they were not set up for farm livestock. We picked up the animals on March 31st. At this time we have received no help from the SPCA.  A local farmer has donated 160  bales of hay, but we need help trucking them. We also need grain and other supplies. See article below for rescue details!

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SPCA takes 79 animals from farm
- Others were found dead on property in Van Etten, officials said.
By KIMBERLY BURNELL
Star-Gazette

   The Chemung County Humane Society and SPCA rescued 79 farm animals -- nine goats, 36 ducks and geese, 23 chickens, seven rabbits, three dogs and one pigeon -- from a Van Etten farm Saturday.

    "There were more dead animals than alive," Dr. Wendy Taft, veterinarian at the Broadway Animal Hospital in Southport and volunteer for the SPCA, said of the animals found at the farm at 36 Hickory Grove Road.

   "They were in different states of decay -- everything from a horse to rabbits to chickens and a lot of goat skins and a jaw and jaw bones," Taft said.

   "I assume when things died, they chopped the dead animals up and fed them to the dogs. Malnourishment was rampant."

    The SPCA would not release the names of the farm owners Saturday, saying the investigation is continuing.

But if they do press charges, it will be "shortly," said Jennifer O'Hara, SPCA executive director.

    "The conditions on the property are obvious from a distance," she said.

    The SPCA learned of the problems Wednesday evening. Officers investigated Thursday and filed for a search warrant Friday, O'Hara said.

    "The animals were in deplorable condition," she said. "The dead were too numerous to count.

   "We were concerned for their (the live animals') safety. Most of the animals are infested with parasites. All had evidence of diarrhea. The animals in the best state were the geese and ducks. The chickens were missing limbs and toes."

   The goats were in the worst shape, very thin with parasites, bloated stomachs, damaged hooves, infections and ulcers, O'Hara said.

    "There was no evidence of food or water on the property other than the carcasses," she said.

    There are still more animals on the land in locations that the property owner denied access to, O'Hara said.

   The SPCA is trying to get another search warrant, and O'Hara hopes to get to those animals Monday. There were also cats and chickens that the SPCA was unable to catch.

   "Our paramount concern is getting the animals to safety," O'Hara said.

    The SPCA found placement for all the animals with wildlife rehabilitation sites, O'Hara said. But the agency needs help to cover the costs.

    "The biggest problem is we need to get feed for the families taking care of the animals," O'Hara said. "We need gift certificates to feed stores, and we'll take any donations we can get in cash."

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Local News for Tuesday 4/01/03
SPCA hopes to seize more  animals from farm

            By SALLE E. RICHARDS
            Star-Gazette
            srichards@stargazette.com

     The Chemung County Humane Society and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is awaiting the decision of a Van Etten village judge on whether it can get another search warrant to seize an elderly man's remaining animals.

     On Saturday, humane society workers used a search warrant to rescue 79 animals from the farm on Hickory Grove Road in Van Etten. No one has been charged in connection with the seizure, said Jennifer O'Hara, humane society executive director.

     O'Hara said the conditions at the farm, where many animals were found dead in addition to those rescued, are deplorable, adding that it is a tragedy for the people involved as well as the animals.

   "Animal welfare never exists in a vacuum. There is often human suffering along with it," she said. O'Hara said she believes the owner still has some chickens and homing pigeons on the property. The SPCA has not identified the owner.

    Neighbors said they don't doubt that the owner of the farm has tried to care for his animals, but he may no longer be physically able to do all that is needed. O'Hara said humane society animal case workers visited the farm in August and were assured that the owner had hired someone to help him correct conditions. She said village officials were notified and advised to monitor the situation.

    Robert Benjamin, who recently became the code enforcement officer for the village, said he called the humane society Saturday because he believed the living conditions of the animals had declined to a level that was animal cruelty.

    The humane society doesn't patrol Van Etten because it is outside its contract area, but it responded Saturday because of the emergency, O'Hara said.

Oak-Tree Sanctuary never received any funds
from the SPCA to cover the animals expenses: transportation, shots, de-worming, hoof trimming, feed or housing. We still have some of these animals in our care, some were placed out the following year after their conditions were corrected. We have an open barn policy, no animal is turned away, except for dogs and cats as there are many organizations set up for them. Most animals placed here remain here, unless an actual better home/situation can be found for them. Adult animals, especially those that have come from bad homes, do not do well socially as pets. That is why we have so many animals in our barn at this time and why an educational farm is so important to the future of the animals we call friends.

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