SPCA closes ‘cruel’ animal firm

THE Kloof and Highway SPCA yesterday shut down operations at a Durban business over allegations that the company had been starving its rats, mice and rabbits.

Sue Noakes, the inspectorate manager at the Kloof and Highway SPCA, told the Daily News that Factory Feeder sold rats, mice and rabbits to pet stores in Durban, but claimed the company had not been feeding these animals for days.

“Some mothers turned on their children because they were so hungry,” Noakes said.

She said the organisation had been to the property on numerous occasions to do routine inspections but was apparently turned away by the staff.

This continued until the SPCA obtained a warrant to enter the premises yesterday.

When they went to where the animals were being stored, she said they saw one of the most extreme cases of animal cruelty this year.

She said it was “totally unsuitable” to keep animals in this set up.

They found that 110 mice and four baby rabbits had died.

“Some just died in front of us,” she said referring to the mice.

Noakes said staff at the fa- cility said there was no food to feed the animals which contributed to the mass deaths.

Other animals were in such a bad condition they had to be euthanised.

Last night, SPCA staff had euthanised more than 1 200 mice and rats.

Noakes said when they contacted the business owner, Rory Gordin, about the animals, he apparently told them he had given away the rabbits for the staff ’s personal consumption.

SPCA staff checked the freezers and found what they believed to be a case of animals not being properly euthanised and had frozen to death.

She said if the company had used the proper methods they would have died a painless death, which she believed did not happen.

She said they had told Gordin about some of the animals not being properly euthanised before being stored, and said the cylinders that contained the gas to euthanise them were empty.

Shortly after the SPCA had arrived, a cylinder, which had the gas to euthanise them, arrived.

She said people tend to see the mice and rats as only snake food, but forget that they are also living beings.

“Whether it is a small or big animal, it is animal cruelty.”

Best record

She said the organisation would open a case of animal cruelty against Gordin.

In response, Gordin said in the past three years they had the best record of any facility.

He also said he would be closing the factory as he had sold it to another businessman.

“Our gas never arrived on Thursday so we were not able to euthanise the whole lot.

“We had enough food until today so the gas arrived at the same time as the SPCA,” he said.

Gordin felt the tenant had contacted the SPCA “out of spite” because he had asked them to leave.

He denied the rabbits belonged to him, saying they belonged to the staff who eat them.