146 animals rescued from Franklin Township residence
Nearly 150 animals were rescued from a Franklin Township residence Nov. 1 after a report of “numerous dead rabbits,” according to state police.
“Trooper Matthew Lesnett responded,” said Trooper Bertha Cazy, public information officer with Troop D. “It was learned the resident of the property was recently hospitalized after her husband passed away.”
She said Lesnett, animal cruelty liaison for Troop D, visited the owner and family at the hospital, where the resident “voluntarily surrendered four dogs, two cats and over 100 rabbits.”
Ruth Thompson, founder and director of the ANNA Shelter in Erie, said her organization was contacted to assist state police in rescuing the animals.
“We do a lot in helping with large-scale seizures, because we’re equipped for it,” Thompson said.
The condition of the surviving 146 animals was “not good,” according to Thompson, with teams discovering at least another 160 animals on the property had died.
“It took us three days to get everything cleared out,” she said. “We found the animals all over.”
Volunteers from the Erie shelter were forced to rent a U-Haul, Thompson said, helping facilitate the animals’ journey north for rehabilitation.
“Both the conditions of the animals and the cages were just more than we had anticipated on our first visit,” she said. “I don’t think anybody realized how bad it was, so it just took a little bit more resources-wise to make it work.”
From there, the shelter’s sole small-mammals veterinarian set to work.
“We have a triage procedure where each animal is examined by our veterinarian, and then whatever immediate medical needs they have are addressed,” she said. “After that, they get into a routine medical, which involves spay, neuter and that kind of stuff.”
Thompson said it was “definitely a process” for the veterinarian.
“She was pretty optimistic yesterday,” she said with a laugh. “She’s hoping to have them all processed and ready for adoption by Monday.”
Carrie Ciancio, executive director for the Butler County Humane Society, said the organization was not involved in the rescue — but urged residents to contact local shelters in emergency situations.
With the humane society lacking the “specialized care” required for rabbits, Ciancio said ANNA Shelter was better equipped for that rescue effort.
Additionally, she suggested that keeping the animals together may aid in any investigation into the incident.
According to state police, the incident is still under investigation, and it is unknown if any charges will be filed. The address and property owner’s name are being withheld.
The initial report for the residence was filed with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, according to spokesperson Shannon Powers, which sent a state veterinarian to “rule out the presence of dangerous, transmissible diseases.”
“Those rabbits have been cleared; they’re free of contagious disease,” she said.
The rescue effort began only after the animals were cleared, according to Powers.
“That was an awful lot of rabbits,” she said.
For ANNA Shelter, though, Thompson said the next step is finding homes for the rabbits.
“There’s a rabbit sanctuary outside of Pittsburgh that specializes in the severely injured,” she said. “There were some with broken backs, some that were born without legs, and that sanctuary helped us and took 16.”
For the remaining animals, Thompson said the shelter has received an outpouring of donations from the community and is preparing to host a “rabbit adoption day.”
“They’re super pretty, and hopefully that will help with adoption,” she said. “If you can send people our way, that would be fantastic.”
To donate to the ANNA Shelter’s rescue effort — or for more information on adoption — visit theannashelter.com or call 814-451-0230.
