Oct 28, 2008 7:49 pm US/Eastern
Horses Found In Garbage Farm Are Up For Adoption
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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About 400 animals were found in horrible conditions at a Southwest Miami-Dade farm.
CBS
Several horses are up for adoption after being found at an alleged illegal slaughter house in Southwest Miami-Dade.
The South Florida Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has custody of the horses found in the farm where abused and malnourished animals were allegedly found last week. The SPCA needs to place the horses in loving homes.
Last Friday animal welfare workers returned to to the farm to remove more sick and undernourished animals found when investigators checked out complaints of a foul smell at the farm. What they found was animals being fed restaurant garbage by a South Dade farmer who claimed he couldn't afford to pay for animal feed, charges he now denies.
55-year-old Ramiro Perez was charged with sanitary violations, and could face additional charges, after investigators found goats, pigs, and other livestock animals on a 10 acre farm apparently eating rotting garbage.
Dr. Sara Pizano, director of Miami-Dade Animal Services, said Friday additional charges will be filed, but there are no details at this time.
Dr. Pizano said the garbage was causing a terrible stench which brought police to the farm. When it was discovered animals were eating the waste, investigators found it contained not only rotting food, but plastic utensils and other garbage which could injure animals if consumed.
In addition, investigators found Perez was apparently slaughtering the garbage-fed animals on the property, operating a slaughterhouse in violation of state law. Perez was slaughtering these animals inhumanely, Dr. Pizano said Friday, butchering even horses in filthy conditions and selling the meat for human consumption.
Perez reacted angrily to claims that he was feeding the animals garbage because he couldn't afford proper food.
"I have $25-$30 thousand dollars worth of receipts that I have bought food for my animals," he said in Spanish.
Dr. Pizano said there were more than 400 animals on the site. She said Perez claimed he lacked the money to feed the animals, which is why he turned to garbage.
Investigators removed some of the animals Thursday, including pigs taken to a Palm Beach farm. Horses and donkeys were taken to the SPCA South Florida ranch. The animals left on the ranch were corralled, and food was brought for them.
Goats and sheep were being sent to a location in Georgia once checked by a vet, the rest of the pigs will be relocated to West Palm Beach, and the fowl on the property will be taken to another farm.
Only an injured pig was euthanized by officials.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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