The Humane Society of North Texas found feces-filled cages from a Denton home. There were 124 animals that were underweight, infested with fleas, and ill.
Animal cruelty
The Denton home had cockroach infestation, according to the Human Society. The society also stated that it assisted Denton authorities in rescuing the animals back in May. They removed more than 600 pounds of feces from the cages of the animals, and the home was also infested with cockroaches.
According to the Denton Record-Chronicle. after the raid, the Denton Police arrested 67-year-old Terry Self and 55-year-old Laurie Jordan on June 16 on animal cruelty charges.
Amy Cunningham, the spokeswoman of the police department, told the Denton-Record-Chronicle, that they received an anonymous tip about the filthy home and the authorities went there on May 27.
According to a report filed by the police, they spoke with Jordan, who told the authorities that she took good care of the animals and they did not understand why someone would accuse them of animal cruelty because they don't hit them.
The officers reported that the cages were stacked from the floor up to the ceiling. The floors of the cages were covered with cockroaches, feces, cobwebs, and dust. Aside from the 124 animals that they were able to rescue, they also found 122 dead animals in the house.
Cunningham told the newspaper that the animals were take given veterinary services at the Humane Society. The Humane Society stated that some of the animals had no water in their cages, while some only had filthy water. They were also given very little food.
Many of the animals have a severe flea infestation and they were also underweight and had sores. Their toenails were covered with feces and their feet were irritated because they were exposed to excrement for months. The Humane Society also said that the animals are now recovering and they will be put up for adoption as soon as they are healthy again.
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According to Cunningham, the society was able to rescue 7 chinchillas, 86 guinea pigs, 4 parakeets, 7 rabbits, 2 hamsters, 2 degus, 2 chickens, 1 cat, and 1 cockatiel. The dead animals were placed in a freezer and included 13 chinchillas, 7 ferrets, 93 guinea pigs, 5 rabbits, 2 fancy rats, and 2 bearded dragons.
It is still not clear when Jordan and Self got the animals, how they got them, and why they let the animals live in such horrific and filthy conditions.
Animal cruelty in the U.S
In the United States, the animals whose abuse is most often reported are cats, dogs, livestock, and horses. Animal abuse is rampant in the factory farm industry. The protections to livestock under state cruelty laws are weak, so only the vilest cases are reported and few are prosecuted.
In 2016, the FBI added animal cruelty as a category in the Uniform Crime Report, which is a crime reporting system used nationwide in homicide investigations. The data collections cover four categories: intentional abuse and torture, simple or gross neglect, organized abuse, and animal sexual abuse.
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