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Alpacas
I am sad to be bringing you yet another story of
animal abuse. This one comes from Falls City, a small community in Oregon, located about 30 miles southeast of San Antonio, with a population of under 700.
The owners of Jocelyn's Alpacas Ranch
have each been indicted on 18 animal abuse charges after more than 200 starving or dead alpacas were found on their Falls City farm in December 2013.
Alpacas are rare and exotic creatures that have been considered a treasure of the Andes Mountains for more than 6,000 years. They look like small llamas or long-necked camels with no humps. Easily domesticated, alpacas are friendly, gentle and curious.
And yet they suffered this terrible abuse. The
Polk County Itemizer-Observer reports that Jocelyn and Robert Silver were arraigned two weeks ago on identical charges, which include one count of felony first-degree animal neglect, one count of second-degree animal neglect and 16 counts of misdemeanor first-degree animal neglect.
Polk County Sheriff's Office began looking into conditions on the farm after receiving complaints from neighbors and the Animal Legal Defense Fund in early December. An initial investigation of the property found evidence of malnutrition in the animals.
"In this pasture there was no green forage growing anywhere," wrote Deputy John Kincaid in an affidavit requesting a search warrant. "The trees in this pasture appeared to be devoid of bark (as high as the animals could reach)."
Once a warrant was granted for a "herd health check" with a licensed veterinarian, investigators found even more evidence of mistreatment, including dozens of dead alpacas and many others that were emaciated and weak.
What a horrible, horrible tragedy, but such tales are not uncommon.
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