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Subscribe to RSSCLEVELAND, Ohio - Humane society members wearing protective masks removed nearly 300 animals including pigeons, chickens and rabbits from an Ohio man's reeking house this week.
Most of the animals are expected to survive including some that were sick, Sheila Marquis, an officer with the Humane Society of Dayton, Ohio, told Reuters on Saturday.
Workers on Thursday took away 60 pigeons, chickens and roosters from the house in Huber Heights, a suburb of Dayton. They returned the following day for 223 animals including 100 pigeons and 30 rabbits.
The sheer number of pigeons, which can carry airborne diseases, created a health hazard inside the house, Marquis said.
Authorities were tipped off by complaints about a stench coming from the property.
The animals' owner, who has not been identified, was very cooperative and knowledgeable about the birds, which included homing pigeons, Marquis said.
She said she thinks he just got overwhelmed taking care of so many animals.
"He told us he took some animals from other people and other pigeon organizations. That's how the cycle happens. He kept getting more birds and building more cages," Marquis said.
The man will be allowed to keep two dogs and some cats living in the house.
There was no word on whether he will be charged with animal neglect or abuse, a misdemeanor for the first offense in Ohio. Huber Heights has a ban on farm animals but does not limit the number of pets residents can own.
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
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The number is misleading. 160 pigeons and chickens is nothing like dogs or cats.
Rabbits either but we all know rabbits breed nearly as fast as illegal immigrants, so that is a problem.
Let the birds go and feed the rabbits to the homeless. nearly 200 of these animals were edible maybe more I wonder what else he had. if he had goats and pigs then eat those too.
You can't let the pigeons go they have more than likely never been out of their surrounding so more than likely they will not survive on their own. The rabbits are more than likely rabbits used for pets so there would not be much meat on them. YOU and others do not realise how dangerous poo from birds are for people. OK imagine he allowed these birds to fly and roost in the house, which means they crapped all over their pens, the walls, the floor boards, etc. That is 160 birds in that house, the bird poo dries and the powder gets into the air and you are breathing this in while in close proximity of the birds. Histoplasmosis is a fungus caused by the debris left from birds which in turn can make people seriously ill along with several other fungus that are in pigeon poo. There are parasites that are on birds that will infest leaving bites and rashes on your skin. Due to the poo more than likely his house maybe condemed due to being a health hazard. Rabbit urine will not affect people like cat urine can but the ammonia in the urine can cause health issues for the rabbits and he had over 30 rabbits. chickens in my state must be inoculated and if you are selling or giving away the birds they must be tested so that if they are diseased they don't infect other chickens. This man was hoarding there is no question about it 283 animals are to much for one person to properly care for.
MINAMEME
I have raised rabbits since I was 9 years old. I am a member of the American Rabbit Breeders Association. Rabbit meat, especially domestic, is extremely healthy, lean, and truly is one of the most nutritious animal proteins available. It tastes great, takes little room to raise, and there is a large show animal network to enjoy as well. So there would, in fact, be plenty of VERY HIGH QUALITY meat available on the rabbits, depending on if they were fed a proper diet in the correct quantity.
That said, it does not excuse the person from raising rabbits in such filth. They do have rather sensitive respiratory tracts and as you said, the ammonia in their urine alone if not regularly cleaned would be bad enough, let alone with the birds to boot. Nasty.
My apology but Miskaffon if you actually read my posting entirely you would see I am refering to these rabbits only not other rabbits which have been raised properly by their owners. Honestly these rabbits there were in these rotten conditions should not be use for food,as McGustso suggests, but actually given a chance to have new owners who would properly take care of them.
E I E I O...
He should also have kept "B"oehner in a cage inside the house!!
wonder who the "stool pigeon" was that rat them out? was it one of the pigeons that left all the stools !!!
Such ood intentions can get out of hand and does in Huber Heights, which is a family oriented community of Good American Citizens but with houses too close for multiple animals in or out of the home. We have the same experience of a nice lady who kept too many cats. When it got out of hand and the family could not afford to feed them, let let them go loose. Now here we are a year or two later with cats multiplying and running the neighborhood. Walking on cars, urinating on porches and making those allergic to cats unable to sit outside their house. Not too fair if you ask me. Yes, people should have the sense to know when to say no more, however when they don't, what can be done? The pigeon man's neighborhood has houses which are close and I can guarantee the smell and appearance of the house were a nuisance. Yes, help for the animals is needed HOWEVER the man would is obviously good intentioned needs to be top priority. He needs some help as well and that is where it becomes even more difficult... Wish I had the answer....
What I would like to know is if this is even in OHIO. Kim Palmer are you a reporter or just a fill in? Someone like, maybe you or at Reuters needs a Geography lesson. Did this really occur in Cleveland or is it Dayton Ohio? As far as getting Huber Heights being in Dayton you are correct but Cleveland is so far North that there is no way to spin this obvious mistake. Unless this is really a Cleveland home...??? It just makes Reuters look dumb.
I don't think the guy has a mental illness.. He simply had too big a heart and lack of know how to establish a legitimate rescue organization. If he has sufficient land, he could have sought advice from the proper authorities, taken the necessary steps to get established including recruiting volunteers back before it got overwhelming. I do agree, the private home, for his own benefit should be off limits excepting a few favorite pets ie: cat(s) & dog(s). I wish all the best to this man and his many friends. When it comes to rescuing animals.... Big hearts are hard to come by these days.. they are far & few between..
This fellow must have read Joel Salitin's book about everyone having chickens in their house! LOL
I think if u had just took the man over about what 2 or 3 snakes to feed every day he could have got rid of a few ( Pigeons, chickens etc. are BIRDS....say it!) every day to feed the snakes & the promble would have been over in just a month or two then u could have turn lose the snakes back in the wild & every thing would be fine again.
Ya Buddy i mean isen't that what goes on in the woods any way even thou u ppl don't want to say that it is the truth it is the way the world is i mean we the ppl we eat the pig the cow & god knows what other type of wild life we eat every day the same as the ( Pigeons, chickens etc. are BIRDS....say it!) & the snake.
But, But we have 47,000 Vietnam veterans living in stairwells and under trains and buses up and down the west coast USA--so who should we harass for that---You should go and smell some stairwells on Market street right in San Fransisco, they never wash themselves, they pee everywhere, and of course garbage in their bags, that does not meet the standards of my friends at FDA refrigeration.---What does this have to do with this animal lover--everything in comparison-----some of these have dog/s too!
How sad. It sounds like he was trying to take good care of them but had too many.
Well its about time.......back ground checks for pet owners.............
A mobile home, no doubt..... disability yields many unique hobbies
Do you love your mother ? Do you have suicidal thoughts ? Do you frequently think about becoming Dr. DoLittle ?
Dear Ms Palmers, how about an inkling of pride in your work. Headline Cleveland Ohio describing a suburb of Dayton.
- something happened in Boston, which we'll call Manhattan for this story, then describe the detail in the Bronx. Lazy!
Some people have big hearts, but poor judgement. They misjudge how many animals can be reasonably cared for given their living arrangements.
The ironic thing about removing these 'hoarded' animals is, a good number of them will probably be euthanized.
Again, there must have been some kind of signs. A 15 year old?? On top of killing the adults, but 3 little ones? I assume the 15 year old was part of this family, so very sad. Not only do I feel sorry for the extended family, but the 15 year old as well. What in his life he was tormented by to kill an entire family??
Gives whole new meaning to the word "hoarding"
Obama will be on the news crying and visiting the victims within the next few days, while in Chicago, its no big deal.
Another point to be made, this murderers name will be suppressed, his trial will not be reported in the media and he will probably be sentenced to a couple of yrs, than let out to do his dirty deeds again! Juveniles get away with murder all the time!
Steve -
You are on the wrong thread. (might well be a newsvine issue, I know. I have posts disappear into the twilight zone from time to time.)
People want to do the right thing and before they know it , it's out of control. People need to take responsibility of their animals and not dump them on people like this man expecting them to take care of them . There's a lack of people that get animals and keep them for their life expectancy. If you don't have the time or money to take care of an animal don't get one .
Let them clean up the mess and lets get on with getting rid of Obammer
a purely animal house!
Don't release the pigeons. The idiot across the street from me feeds them. Don't need any additions to the flock.
If it's cruelty, its cruelty by default. The man seemed to be put into a role of Bird caretaker, etc. He must have a weak sense of self, or this would not have gotten out of control. I am a semi-retired Clinical Psychologist , with about 30 years experience, and I can tell you that the the new DSM, the 5 will have Hoarding Behavior listed to help clinicians help these patients. Animal hoarding is slightly different from the hoarder that builds up walls of junk in his/her house. Lonliness, a loss that was not grieved, etc, all go into the etiology of this illness. Here in Vegas, we had a man that had so much crap in his house it took 5 trucks, 3 trips to haul it away. In the process, they found several dead rats and about a dozen dead cats. He is now in treatment.