Sheep slated for slaughter neglected
Worth, IL (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Aug 17, 2008
County: Cook
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Senad Abdalla
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
An Orland Park man has been charged with cruelty to animals after two sheep were found bound together by their rear legs inside his Worth car repair shop, police said.
Police went to Abe's First Auto Repair in the 6500 block of West 111th Street on Saturday after the shop's burglar alarm was triggered. Officers discovered the two sheep lying on the concrete floor, according to a Worth police report.
The owner of the shop, Senad Abdalla, 25, was charged with misdemeanor cruelty to animals and with violating a village ordinance prohibiting livestock in Worth, the report said. The store was closed at the time.
After finding the sheep, police told Abdalla to come to the business, where he told officers he bought the animals at an auction and planned to take them to a friend's farm, officials said. The sheep were taken to the Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge.
Linda Estrada, director of the welfare league, said the sheep were left bound together inside the shop without food or water for an unknown amount of time.
"The poor sheep were so weak they could barely walk when they were brought into our shelter, moaning and crying out," Estrada said. "The man later called and admitted that he bought the sheep to butcher them for food. He asked us if we could give the sheep back to him."
Even animals intended to be eaten deserve to be treated "with compassion and dignity" while they are alive, Estrada said.
She said the sheep will be relocated to a no-kill farm.
Case UpdatesWhen police responded to an alarmed triggered at a Worth auto shop last month they might have expected to find an open door, an employee working after hours or even a band of hooligans.
They likely did not think they would find livestock covered in excrement.
But when Worth police officers responded to an alarm at 7:09 p.m. Aug. 16 at Abe's First Auto Repair, 6500 W. 111th, it was sheep they found - two of them, tied together by their hind legs. The shop was closed at the time, police said.
The shop's owner, Senad Abdalla, 24, of Orland Park, was cited for storage of livestock and cruelty to animals, both violations of village ordinances, according to police. Worth police administra-tive secretary Dana McNeilly said Abdalla received the animal cruelty citation because the animals were bound, which prevented access to food or water.
Police said Abdalla told them he purchased the animals at an auction with the intent of taking them to a friend's farm. He claimed he left the animals at the shop for an hour while he got dinner, police said. Police are unsure how long the animals had been left in the shop. McNeilly said police believe the animals may have triggered the alarm.
The sheep were taken to the Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge. The sheep are 9 to 10 months old and were underfed, according to Animal Welfare League president and director Linda Estrada. Abdalla told Animal Welfare employees he had planned to butcher the sheep for meat, Estrada said.
"Just because we eat meat doesn't mean they [animals] lose their dignity," Estrada said.
The sheep were tied together and covered in their own feces and urine, Estrada said. The animals also had a green nasal discharged commonly referred to as "shipping fever," Estrada said. The animals were cleaned and sent to a physician who will continue to care for the animals, she said.
The animals did not suffer any permanent damage, she added.
Abdalla is scheduled to appear for a hearing Oct. 2 at the Cook County 5th Municipal District Courthouse in Bridgeview. | Source: The Reporter - Sept 11, 2008
Update posted on Sep 11, 2008 - 8:39PM |
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