THUNDER BAY -- A local couple is facing four counts of animal cruelty for allegedly abandoning 23 cats and kittens.
About four months ago, animal control services were called to Wilson Street Park where they discovered 23 cats and kittens abandoned in a dog crate.
One of the kittens in the crate had passed away.
OSPCA officer Jeremy Gardiner said a man and a woman have each been charged with four counts of animal cruelty.
“In cases like this a lot of these people are transient, so they actually did move and we had difficulty locating them after we did find out the location where they were the first time,” Gardiner said.
“Tips came through – and I guess people knew who they were, and we eventually tracked them down.”
The couple was charged with one count each for causing distress, permitting an animal to be in distress, failing to provide care for general welfare and failing to provide medical attention.
Fortunately, all of the cats have been adopted.
“We like to remind the public that there are other means than just dumping animals into the park,” Gardiner said.
“You can contact the humane society, and there’s a lot of rescues in town that you can reach out to as well.”
Gardiner added that there is no excuse to dumping animals in a park.
