Hoarding - 70 birds
Fort Collins, CO (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Apr 2, 2006
County: Larimer
Disposition: Not Charged
Person of Interest: woman
Authorities removed more than 30 birds from the home of a 70-year-old woman in Fort Collins on April 2. The woman's family had called police about conditions in her home that some experts described as filthy.
Experts from the Gabriel Foundation shelter came into the home wearing masks. They said some of the birds had suffered from malnutrition and some had already died.
Authorities report the woman had more than 70 birds at one time. It's a scenario the experts call "hoarding."
"People are so passionate and people love their animals," Julie Murad, the Gabriel Foundation president said. "The flip side is it takes more than that to care for them."
The home's garage was filled with cages and birds in a cacophony of chaos. Volunteers with the foundation loaded the birds into vans and trucks for a trip to its shelter.
The team did leave 2 birds with the woman and will watch to make sure they are cared for so the same situation doesn't happen again.
The woman who owns the home won't be cited for animal cruelty because she gave up the animal voluntarily.
The Gabriel Foundation's shelter in Elizabeth is where they birds will be staying at a cost of thousands of dollars. The group is hoping for donations to help cover that cost. References« CO State Animal Cruelty Map
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