28 rabbits seized in Saukville: Neighbors complained for years, owner speaks out
SAUKVILLE -- 28 rabbits were rescued by the Wisconsin Humane Society and Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday night, December 29th. They were found with no food and no water, and neighbors say they may have been suffering for years inside a barn in Saukville. FOX6 News spoke with the owner of these animals, who shared her side of this story.
Humane Society officials say they received a call from the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday afternoon. Officials with the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed they are investigating in this case.
28 rabbits were rescued alive.
We’re told the animals were living in a dilapidated barn in wire cages.
None of the animals had food or water.
On Cold Springs Road in Saukville, there are no walls or roof left on the barn where the rabbits were living.
Neighbors say they've been making complaints regarding this barn and the animals living inside for years.
Saukville barn where 28 rabbits seized
"We`ve said stuff to the caretakers and we`ve said stuff to authorities," Floyd Klas said.
Nearly 30 rabbits are now being cared for by the Wisconsin Humane Society. The seized animals are being held as evidence.
"The feces were piled in places two to three feet deep, and one of the rabbits was deceased," Angela Speed with the Wisconsin Humane Society said.
Speed says the rabbits were found without food or water.
Neighbors who have been inside the barn say they're now wondering what took authorities so long.
"They used to go out there every day add water -- every day and all that stuff, and then all of a sudden they just quit," Floyd Klas said.
Saukville barn where 28 rabbits seized
Klas used to keep his own rabbits in the barn for years. He says the family he shared the space with appeared to stop caring a few years ago.
"I knew they weren`t being fed, so I figured they were starving," Klas said.
Klas and other neighbors say authorities have been called numerous times.
Klas says seeing dead rabbits in the area wasn't uncommon.
"They`d toss them across the street, or wherever. Sometimes they left them in the manure pile," Klas said.
At her home in Saukville, the woman who owns the animals says the problem is due to people not understanding livestock.
FOX6's Ben Handelman speaks with owner of rabbits seized in Saukville
"It was an unfortunate situation. We were getting out of that barn because it was untenable," the woman said.
The woman says the rabbits were fed, but not this week because of the snow storm. She blames neighbors for the feces piling up.
"There was no place for the manure to go because the neighbor who was complaining did not allow the farmer to come and get the manure," the woman said.
When FOX6 News asked about the dead rabbit found by Humane Society officials during the rescue operation, the woman had this to say:
"It died of old age. It was nine years old," the woman said.
FOX6's Ben Handelman: "It`s been sitting there for three weeks now?"
"It`s been cold, you know?" the woman said.
FOX6 News asked the woman if she'd like her animals back. She indicated she was going to send them to the butcher in January anyway, so if people want them as pets, that's fine.
FOX6 News is not naming the owner of the rabbits because she hasn't been charged.
When FOX6 News arrived at the woman's home, an Ozaukee County Sheriff's deputy was talking with her. He told FOX6 News this is an ongoing criminal investigation.
If you would like to help at this point, the Humane Society needs supplies for the rabbits -- like water bottles, Timothy Hay and rabbit pellets.
CLICK HERE for Wisconsin Humane Society contact information, if you'd like to make a donation.