KAWARTHA LAKES, Ont. -- Ontario's animal welfare agency says it has laid multiple charges in an investigation that led to the removal of 260 animals from a rural property.
The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says it responded to a complaint in late August about a sheep tangled in baler twine.
It says an investigator allegedly discovered emaciated animals on the property that had no food or water and were living among "dangerous debris."
The OSPCA says a veterinarian was brought in to examine the animals, "some of which were limping or too weak to stand."
It says it executed a warrant on Sept. 1, removing 260 animals from the property for non-compliance with orders issued under the Ontario SPCA Act.
The OSPCA says the seizure included 128 sheep, 82 goats, three alpacas, 14 pigeons, four rabbits, five cows, nine ducks and 15 chickens.
The OSPCA says a 47-year-old man is charged with permitting an animal to be in distress, failing to provide adequate and appropriate food and water, failing to provide adequate and appropriate medical attention and failing to provide the care necessary for an animal's general welfare.
The OSPCA did not release the man's name.
"There is no excuse to let an animal go without proper care or veterinary medical attention," Bonnie Bishop, Senior Inspector of Farm Animal Welfare with the OSPCA said in a statement.
