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Living Nightmare For Animals In Steuben County

Steuben County, IN- May 14, 2003 - Steuben County Humane Officer Scott Mazzo received a warrant to enter the property of Anthony Imperatrice to seize animals suffering from severe abuse and neglect. Farm Sanctuary assisted with the confiscation and helped remove neglected animals from the property.

According to Farm Sanctuary's New York Shelter Director, Susie Coston, who assisted with the removal of live and decaying animals, "It was a living nightmare for the surviving animals. Bloated, rotting carcasses were blocking the alleyways and doorways to the barns, and the animals were forced to live among the decay and filth." Among the abuse and neglect documented:

"A goat was tethered between the bodies of two of the dead horses. Two other goats were tethered in another stall on top of moldy hay and feces stacked higher than the gate that originally held them. The leashes used to tie them were too short, and the animals were unable to stand up, forcing them to remain on their knees. Their chests and knees were rubbed raw from months of this cruel confinement. When rescuers untied the goats, they crawled on their knees to the door. A donkey was barely able to walk after suffering months of neglect. Her hooves had not been trimmed and were severely deformed. The bone on her right front foot had pushed out through the skin, making every step she took excruciatingly painful."

Some of the animals were brought to Farm Sanctuary's New York shelter and the Finger Lakes SPCA, and others were taken to temporary foster facilities. Surviving animals from the farm included five ewes; five lambs; three goats; one donkey; two draft horse stallions; five Arabian horses; three Scottish Highland cattle; two rabbits; ten chickens; one pheasant; one peacock; six geese, and two cats. Farm Sanctuary is working to place all of the farm animals and is appealing to its members across the country to assist with the adoption effort.

In addition to the placement and adoption of the surviving animals, Farm Sanctuary is urging a strong prosecution, with both fines and jail time, and prohibiting Mr. Imperatrice from having any animals.
Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal rescue and protection organization, works to gain more humane protection for farm animals, and to ensure that farm animal cruelty cases are treated seriously and surviving animals are placed in safe, adoptive homes instead of sent to slaughter.

About Farm Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.