Wednesday, August 13, 2008

What is the matter with this picture?

Animal rescue leads to child endangerment charges
ST. LOUIS, Missouri (AP) -- More than 360 domestic and farm animals, many of them emaciated, injured and suffering from mange and parasites, were rescued Tuesday from a filthy southwest Missouri property where they were hoarded and bred, authorities said.

Dogs taken from the Missouri property wait to be unloaded from a truck at the Humane Society.

The owner of the property was charged with child endangerment because six children, ages 1 to 11, also had been living in what authorities described as an unbelievable scene: 12 to 15 house trailers stacked to the ceilings with junk, trash and debris, crawling with cockroaches. The only water source was a bunch of garden hoses strung together.

"These homes are not fit for anyone to live in," human or animal, Polk County Sheriff Steve Bruce said.

The 363 animals include more than 70 dogs and more than three dozen cats, plus donkeys, rabbits, ducks, chickens and exotic fish. The Humane Society of Missouri and Polk County also found 12 to 15 dead rabbits, dogs, cats and poultry.

Authorities descended upon the property with warrants after the family who owns the land failed to heed warnings last month to begin providing proper care, said Tim Rickey, the Humane Society's director of rescues and investigations.


Nowhere else in the article are the children mentioned. Seriously. All sorts of stuff about the fate of the animals who they rescued, nothing more about the children.

Priorities, people.

1 comment:

nerdrium said...

Even the title of the article is ridiculous. "360 animals, 6 children rescued from filth, neglect." As if the "360 animals" is the important part and the kids were a secondary issue.

How weird that people can live like that, though. It makes my skin crawl....