Fifty-five animals, including four cougars and a 900-pound black bear, will be examined by veterinarians after being removed from a rural Maquoketa farm by authorities who received complaints about their welfare.
The bear, two fox, two cats, four cougars, eight puppies, 11 horses, 12 dogs and 15 chickens were taken away after a search Monday night, July 24, 2006 at the Randy and Pam Garien property at 24922 81st St., Jackson County Sheriff�s Deputy Steve Schroeder said.
�This is the largest animal seizure in Jackson County,� he said.
Dr. Jennifer Doll, a veterinarian who accompanied the deputies to the farm northeast of Maquoketa, reported that many of the animals appeared to be neglected.
The horses were kept in an enclosed pasture, which included glass and metal objects, according to information contained in a search warrant filed in Jackson County District Court. Doll said in the report that one horse had a lacerated leg, which didn�t appear to be healing well, and there was a minimal amount of water for the horses and a lack of hay or any type of feed. Doll said many of the horses looked to be underweight and an underweight pony had no food and was in �very unsanitary conditions.�
They also found a black bear, estimated to weigh 900 pounds, in a cage. More than a foot of the bear�s own feces lined the bottom of the cage and there was no food or water, according to the search warrant report.
Doll told deputies she strongly recommended the removal of all the animals on the premises �due to inadequate husbandry and lack of clean living conditions for the caged animals.�
A veterinarian tranquilized the cougars and bear before hauling them away, Schroeder said. The animals were taken to an undisclosed location, he said.
�We are waiting for veterinarians to examine all 55 animals to determine their conditions,� Schroeder said.
A disposition hearing will be scheduled in August to determine what happens to the animals. No charges have been filed against the Gariens, pending the veterinarians� reports.
Two previous complaints were made to the sheriff�s department by neighbors � one in April 2006 concerning no hay or water for the horses and another in March 2005, reporting cougars in the pens. No action was taken in either complaint.
Shirley Scholtes, Jackson County Humane Society president, said the sheriff�s office asked the agency participate in the investigation.
�The cages were not clean,� she said. �The wild animals were in too confined a space. They don�t deserve that. They were small cages.�
Scholtes said the bear seemed to be a �laid back� older bear and had been declawed.
Schroeder said the county currently doesn�t have an exotic animal ordinance, but supervisors are considering one. Case Updates| Jackson County supervisors approved paying close to $13,000 in bills for the rescue and care of animals taken from Pam and Randy Garien's farm in July. The supervisors say they will still try to get the money back from the couple. | Source: KWWL - Oct 6, 2006
Update posted on Oct 8, 2006 - 2:28PM |
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