Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Thursday, December 19, 2013
(INDIANAPOLIS) - Workers at the city’s Animal Care and Control Center literally have their hands full.
WISH TV reports more than 200 rabbits were brought in Tuesday after being confiscated from a breeder's home.
Officers were called out on a tip to the 2100 block of Dudley Avenue Tuesday morning. All of them were being kept in a non-heated garage.
Animal control officers said the owner admitted that the situation got out of control. They said she didn't even know the exact amount of rabbits that were in the garage.
They also confiscated a goat and three small turtles.
Cage after cage, officers marched back and forth from a cold garage where more than 200 rabbits and a goat called home.
And had they not arrived then, that number would have grown.
Marcus Brown, deputy chief of enforcement for Animal Care and Control says several are pregnant and ready to have babies.
He said the good news is the owner gave up the animals willingly.
Once they arrived at the shelter, the males and females were separated to keep from breeding.
They'll spend the next few days in cages that are clean, warm, and filled with food; much different from their previous living situation.
Brown says there was probably 3-4 inches of feces and urine in some of the cages.
The top priority now is making sure all the animals are healthy.
The final step is making sure these little victims aren't locked up at the center for long.
Amanda Dehoney, deputy chief of Kennel Operations will be contacting rescues and looking for fosters and volunteers to take care of the animals.
Brown says the owner faces more than 200 care and treatment violations.
He estimates that could cost her thousands of dollars in fines and court fees. Brown wasn't sure if she will face any criminal charges.
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