UAN joins The Humane Society of the United States, Mississippi Animal Rescue League and Kemper County Sheriff’s Department for rescue mission
Preston, Miss. (March 9, 2010) – United Animal Nations (UAN) has deployed volunteers with its Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS) to care for more than 100 dogs and 2 cats seized this morning from Raven’s Hope, a non-profit organization, by The Humane Society of the United States, the Mississippi Animal Rescue League and the Kemper County Sheriff’s Department.
  EARS volunteer Debra Hutcherson of Texas carries one of 165 dogs rescued from squalor in Kemper County, Mississippi on March 9 to the safety of an emergency shelter.  |
Raven’s Hope claims to offer animals for adoption. The animals were found living in deplorable conditions. When responders arrived on the scene they found dog breeds including Chihuahuas, Labrador retriever mixes, pit bulls and terriers housed throughout the three-acre property. A veterinarian on the scene determined that many of the dogs suffered from medical ailments such as skin infections, untreated wounds and other serious ailments. They were being housed in feces-ridden outdoor pens. The seizure is the largest known animal rescue in
Distinguished by their red shirts, EARS volunteers are specially trained to care for animals at temporary shelters after they have been rescued from cruelty and neglect situations or displaced by natural disasters. So far 11 EARS volunteers have traveled from six states – Alabama, Connecticut, Mississippi, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia — to care for the animals at a temporary shelter until their disposition is determined by a court. More volunteers will arrive this week. UAN has more than 2,600 active EARS volunteers in the
“United Animal Nations volunteers are working hard to get the animals settled and cared for,” said volunteer Stacey Harris of
This rescue was set into motion by the Kemper County Sheriff’s Department, which received numerous tips about cruel conditions and neglected animals in need of veterinary care and reached out to The HSUS for assistance with animal handling, transportation, sheltering and much-needed supplies. The HSUS then called in United Animal Nations to provide animal care and sheltering support. PetSmart Charities® donated food and other sheltering supplies to the rescue efforts.
In 2009, EARS volunteers responded 17 times in the U.S. and Canada, providing temporary shelter for more than 4,500 animals displaced by natural disasters or rescued from abusive and neglectful situations like puppy mills, hoarding cases and dogfighting rings.
- Get updates on this situation on our Emergency Response Blog.
- Support our work in Mississippi by donating to our Disaster Relief Fund.
Founded in 1987, United Animal Nations (UAN) focuses on bringing animals out of crisis and strengthening the bond between people and animals through a variety of programs, including emergency sheltering, disaster relief services, financial assistance and education. Learn more at www.uan.org.
###
