YNN.com

Syracuse / Oswego / Auburn

Change region

  65º

You are not signed in  |  Sign in here  |  Help

You're viewing a lite version of ynn.com

Time Warner Cable customers: Sign in with your TWC ID for video access.

Get my TWC ID. | Get TWC service. | Read the FAQ.

This section displays all of the Southern Tier news articles published in the past 7 days.

Updated 04/29/2012 02:56 PM

Animals recovering at Farm Sanctuary

By: Bill Mich

The conditions on a farm in Cattaraugus County were so bad that the local SPCA and members of the Farm Sanctuary stepped in last Tuesday to rescue over 60 animals. All of the animals were in terrible physical condition, but are slowing regaining their health. Our Bill Mich visited the Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen to check in on their recovery.

  To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Employees at the Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen have been rescuing animals from poor situations for quite some time, but the rescue that took place in Cattaraugus County Tuesday may have been the worst.

"This shocked even us. It was like a horror movie. The entire property was just decaying. There was just filth everywhere and the animals were really, really emaciated and in really bad shape," said Colin Henstock, the Farm Sanctuary Placement Coordinator.

In total, over 60 chickens, cows and sheep were brought to the Farm Sanctuary to begin their recovery. But based on how poor their condition was upon arrival, it will be a long process.

"Their wool was really, really thick and matted, they had mange, they had lice and then whenever we started doing out health checks on them, we realized how bad their hooves actually were. There was a lot of rot and a lot of infection in their hooves so we are going to be dealing with that for quite a few weeks," Henstock said.

Since their arrival last week, the animals are eating very well and the mothers will be able to produce more and more milk as their overall diet improves. Farm Sanctuary officials say within the next month, there will be a noticeable difference in the overall health of the rescues. And actions are also being taken to try to ensure other animals don't suffer the same fate.

"This is the man's third time being charged with animal cruelty. The SPCA is working on it right now to make sure that he is never allowed to purchase animals again," said Henstock.

Now it is just a matter of time before these animals are healthy enough to be adopted into a safer and more caring home.

Anyone interested in adopting any of the rescued animals should send an email to shelter@farmsanctuary.org