The Saskatchewan SPCA seized a record number of animals in a single case April 1.
Close to 900 sheep and four dogs were removed from a farm in the Rural Municipality of Key West, near Kayville, Sask.
“This is definitely the largest seizure that we have ever done,” said Kaley Pugh, manager of animal protection services at the SPCA.
“I think our previous (record) was about 300 head of cattle a couple of different times.”
The SPCA first received a complaint about the farm Feb. 3. As a result, the Bengough RCMP assisted the SPCA with its investigation Feb. 13.
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The RCMP said Jian Min Liu of Moose Jaw has been charged with one count each for causing unnecessary suffering to sheep, failure to provide adequate food and shelter for sheep and willfully causing sheep to be in distress.
Liu will appear in Provincial Court in Assiniboia, Sask., June 12.
Pugh credits the Saskatchewan Sheep Development Board for providing the SPCA with local contacts that helped remove, transport and house the animals nearby. It will also help with lambing and shearing before the animals are sold.
“We were very fortunate,” Pugh said.
“We’ve had excellent help and some very good caretakers to help us out with these animals.”
The four guard dogs had to be separated from the herd but were found appropriate homes where they could remain workings.
Const. Steve Currin of the Bengough-Coronach RCMP said he is not familiar with sheep, but became part of the team that helped during the seizure — it took three days of rounding up, sorting and loading. He said he was relieved to see the animals’ abuse end but also witnessed many dead lambs and some ewes lying about.
Pugh said cause of death could have been an assortment of issues relating to nutrition, cold weather and lack of care during lambing.
“If animals are in distress because there’s stuck lambs or weak lambs and they don’t get the care that they need, unfortunately they can pass away,” she said.
Lack of adequate shelter for lambing ewes was one the main concerns for the SPCA, said Pugh. The sheep are a Rideau Arcott purebred breed that requires more attention to nutrition and lambing time management.
Pugh said this past winter broke another record for the SPCA. It has four investigation officers for the province, which involves constant prioritization of cases.
“We had 735 new cases for the year (April 1-March 31),” she said.
“It’s the highest number of new cases that we’ve opened in our history. Our previous record was 730 cases.”
