Officially approved – 69 animals lived in chains and in the middle of the dirt

Styrian animal rights activists are sadly used to tragedies when it comes to bad husbandry – “but we’ve never seen anything like it ourselves,” are shocked Ingrid and Michael Stracke of the dedicated animal welfare association “Purzel & Vicky”, where the animals have now found a home.

“Some cats had no teeth left”
This is how the creatures were found: “Six goats were tied up in a stable, each separate, with a chain only two feet long. In addition, four cats were locked in an indoor space, and a cat grandmother was also locked in a wooden cage. We don’t know how long the poor animal had to suffer.” The condition: miserable. “Some cats have lost teeth, diarrhea, runny noses, pus filled eyes. miserable.”

13 rabbits, some without food and water, are said to have swept individually into wooden boxes, parakeets, pigeons and quail were in hugely filthy cages. And nine ducks lived in what you would call a hut without water.

When the veterinary authorities of the country became aware of this, they immediately checked and responded. The animals were removed on the spot, “the attitude was intolerable”, it says.

Stricter controls needed
The competent provincial councilor Johann Seitinger emphasizes: “This case is a clear sign that hobby animal farmers – who are not subject to such a fine-grained control network as agricultural food producers – will have to be monitored more closely in the future.”

Reportedly, the suspicion of bad attitude had already been reported (unsuccessfully) to the community. The mayor declined to comment further.