Our rescuers gave hundreds of needy animals in Oklahoma a holiday miracle
Temperatures were below freezing when our Animal Rescue Team and law enforcement officials met in an Oklahoma parking lot before dawn a few days before the winter holidays. They were preparing for a massive rescue operation. Law enforcement had become concerned about the welfare of the animals during an unrelated visit to the property and requested our team’s expert assistance.
Members of our team distributed hand warmers and nametags, waiting for the signal from officers from the Grady County Sheriff’s Office, who were serving a search and seizure warrant at a residence nearby. This would prove to be one of the strangest animal rescue scenarios our responders had ever faced.
When our rescuers arrived on the scene, they were greeted by shivering dogs chained outdoors with hardly any protection from the elements—only plastic crates and igloos or barrels. The dogs ranged from rottweilers and pit bull-type dogs to English bulldogs, a Great Pyrenees and several shih-tzus. Veterinarians noted that most of the dogs were underweight, with protruding hips and rib bones, and that several had untreated wounds.
When the team rounded a corner, they spotted a pig, standing in an empty trough. She looked on curiously, wiggling her nose, and team members saw that there was no food or water in her enclosure. Across the fence, two goats paced near a frozen-solid water trough, one of them limping terribly.
The team continued the walk-through and came upon a murky above-ground pool. A responder put on waders to search the pool and discovered over 20 koi in need of rescue.
Dozens of roosters and hens were found throughout the property—some in makeshift pens outdoors, others caged in an outbuilding. These animals were identified as gamefowl, a term used to describe birds who have been historically raised for the purposes of fighting and selectively bred to be aggressive with other birds. Our animal fighting experts assisted in identifying cockfighting paraphernalia as the day went on.
Our team heard a “hello!” from a parrot in a dingy cage as they entered the otherwise silent garage of the residence. Soon, they would find nearly 100 exotic birds living in filthy, barren cages with no enrichment. Veterinarians immediately noted the parrot had large patches of missing feathers, apparently self-inflicted and likely due to boredom and stress (enrichment, which allows animals to exhibit natural behaviors, is essential for their physical and mental health and can prevent self-destructive behavior). The parrot was also found to have broken tail feathers, which veterinarians determined resulted from living in a cage that was too small.
Several cats wandered around the garage and throughout the property, including an extremely friendly, thin black kitten who stood on a responder’s clipboard purring while she took notes.
Our team and law enforcement officers huddled to work out a plan to safely evaluate and rescue the different populations of animals—they’d start with the dogs, then the pig and goats, and carry on from there.
By nightfall, the frigid temperatures had returned, and the team worked to remove dozens of koi from the pool and a variety of smaller types of fish from inside the residence and garage. By 11 p.m., the companion birds, goats, dogs, cats, fish and the pig were all on their way to safe, temporary locations for in-depth veterinary exams and much-needed, species-appropriate care.
In some of these most difficult and complicated operations, another kind of care comes in the recognition that not all lives can be saved. Because of the risk of infectious disease spread, our rescue team was left with little choice but humane euthanasia for the roosters and hens, as is so often the case with chickens rescued from suspected cockfighting situations. This is a difficult and sad reality we often face in these cases but we know that gently delivering this humane option is far better than allowing these birds to die of neglect or injuries in a cockfighting pit.
The next morning, Jessica Johnson, senior director of the Animal Rescue Team, visited the temporary facility where in-depth veterinary exams were underway. “Something that was striking on-scene was how silent the exotic birds were,” she said. “But once we got them out of there and into appropriate housing in groups, they started chattering and singing with each other—that is a sign of happy birds.”
The Humane Society of the United States assisted the Grady County Sheriff’s Office with the rescue of hundreds of animals from a multi-species alleged cruelty case.
These animals join the hundreds of animals already rescued by our Animal Rescue Team this year. For each of these animals now receiving the care they deserve, I am grateful that we were able to give them such a bright new beginning during the coldest, darkest days of the year.
