368 animals are removed from Nashville area home
NASHVILLE - Officials with Metro Nashville Animal Care and Control secured 368 birds and small animals surrendered to the shelter over the weekend as part of an ongoing animal hoarding investigation, authorities said Monday.
The animals were rescued from an overcrowded property in a residential subdivision off Murfreesboro Pike on Saturday, according to information from Metro Public Health Department spokesman Brian Todd.
After receiving a complaint from neighbors on March 29, animal control staff conducted an interview and investigation regarding inappropriate care and conditions of the animals on site.
The owner of the animals relinquished control of 111 rabbits, 182 quail, 58 pigeons and 27 chickens to authorities on Saturday and, shortly afterward, shelter staff began removing the remaining live and dead animals.
It was not immediately known if the animals’ owner was arrested in connection to the incident, and Todd said the animal control investigation remains ongoing.
Clover Patch Sanctuary, a Franklinbased organization that posted a plea on Facebook for help collecting supplies for the animals, said it was Metro’s largest bird and small animal hoarding case to date.
“The animals were being kept in terrible conditions with numerous deceased animals on the property,” the sanctuary said.
Todd said the largest number of animals collected at one time before Saturday was 95 dogs in 2014. He confirmed that several chickens and rabbits had been slaughtered before officers arrived on the scene.
The Metro shelter is providing handling, sheltering, transportation, medical attention and food for these animals until they can be adopted, Todd said.
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