Officials: 200 rabbits seized from 'deplorable' conditions
JEFFERSON COUNTY - A homeowner is facing animal abuse charges after sheriff's deputies found 200 rabbits, some alive and some dead, in a shed behind her home.
The home is in the 12000 block of 75th Avenue near Arvada. In addition to the rabbits, several goats and chickens could also be seen on the property.
Mark Techmeyer, public information officer for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, described the conditions in the shed as "deplorable." Temperatures inside the shed were described as warm, there was a lack of food and water, and the cages were deep in feces, Techmeyer said.
"It was a bad situation," Techmeyer said. "We don't know how many are dead."
Rescue workers could be seen removing a small number of dead rabbits from the property, although Techmeyer estimated the number of deceased animals to be "in the single digits."
Veterinarians were also on hand and described the animals as "aggressively thirsty," reaching desperately for water as it was poured for them.
Techmeyer says it was 84 degrees inside the shed, which a veterinarian described as four degrees above the ideal temperature for housing long-haired rabbits. An evaporative cooling unit, known as a swamp cooler, appeared to be running on the side of the shed.
9NEWS has chosen not to disclose the name of the homeowner, who has not yet been charged in the case. Techmeyer says an inspection of the rabbits would determine whether officials planned to file misdemeanor or felony charges.
"She is being very cooperative and making the process as easy as can be," Techmeyer said
.
The rabbits were removed from the home and placed in carriers for transport to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, where they are being housed and cared for in a barn by workers for the Foothills Animal Shelter.
"We have dealt with hoarding cases before," Jennifer Strickland, the shelter's director of community relations, said. "As far as 200 rabbits, that's something we haven't encountered."
Strickland says the shelter often sees 10 to 20 hoarding cases per year.
"The owner may not believe that anything is wrong with the animals," Strickland said. "I believe they are harder to care for than people think."
The homeowner's next door neighbor and longtime friend, Jennie Ridgley, says the woman who owns the home is not a hoarder.
"She's a breeder," Ridgley said. "She raises animals for show. These are all pedigreed animals."
The homeowner's website says she's been raising rabbits since 1982.
Ridgley says she called the homeowner at her job when she noticed animal control officers at her home shortly after 10:30 Thursday morning.
"This is a side business for her," Ridgley said. "She advertises. She's not incognito or anything."
Techmeyer says the homeowner does not have a license to breed or sell animals.
"Keeping animals that are cramped together in conditions described as deplorable is unacceptable," Techmeyer said.
This was the first call in Jefferson County for the new Crime Stoppers program where people can report animal cruelty. The program launched in June.
"We know there are cases that are not being reported," Techmeyer said.
Information on how make donations for the rabbits will be posted at
http://www.foothillsanimalshelter.org.
