Farm animals rescued from horrific conditions inside garage

Earlier this year, SPCA Inspectors visited a property after receiving a call from a concerned member of the public regarding the welfare of some farm animals.

When they arrived at the property that day, the scene they discovered was deeply shocking.

A steer and two ewes were being kept inside a dark and filthy garage, trapped in layers of their own excrement.

“Our team were completely taken aback by what they were looking at,” said Inspectorate Team Leader, Jason Blair. “There was minimal light or ventilation, and excrement had built up to such an extent that the animals were on a mound of it, about a metre high.”

It was unknown how long the poor animals had been confined to the garage, but it was estimated to be at least four years.

“To think they had been suffering in that environment for that long is truly awful, and goes to show how deeply we rely on members of the public to report any instances of neglect. We can’t investigate or change situations that we don’t know about,” Jason said.

A search warrant was applied for immediately, which was then executed and the animals were seized – though this wasn’t an easy process.

“The doors to the garage couldn’t even be opened, due to the build-up of excrement,” Jason said. “Inspectors and an attending vet literally had to dig them out, while wearing respirators, as it wasn’t possible to breathe in the garage without them.”

The steer had excrement and mud all the way up to his belly, showing the extent of the horrific conditions.

All three animals were transported to a nearby holding location, where they could receive the vet treatment and care that they needed to be able to travel a greater distance.

The steer, lovingly named Big Barry by the team, was found to have overgrown and misshapen hooves that required multiple trims to remedy. He also had clear muscle wastage from being kept in such a restricted space for a long period of time.

Though it was heartbreaking for our teams to see his terrible state, we were relieved to be able to help, and see him slowly start to progress.

“At first, when he experienced his new-found freedom to move about, this caused him pain with his misshapen hooves,” Jason said. “We were able to manage this with pain relief and repeated vet visits, and thankfully he made a full recovery.”

Remarkably, the two sheep appeared to be in a much healthier position, and it didn’t take them long at all relax in their new environment.

After some time at the holding site, all three the animals went to a caring foster home together, where they were able to experience their clean, open surroundings.

Samara, the loving fosterer, developed a special connection with Big Barry, and decided she couldn’t let him go. While the two sheep went on to a new home, Big Barry found his forever home with Samara.

“He’s the biggest sweetheart, so when it came to adopting him, it wasn’t a question – it was a must,” Samara said. “He’s the most gentle giant and best big brother to my own ewes.”

“He’ll run up to the fence if he hears anyone coming, and loves a good head scratch. I’m just so honoured to be a part of his healing after everything that poor boy has been through. It was the best decision to adopt him.”

It takes a village to see wonderful changes like these happen. From the member of the public who first called us, to our Inspectors, vet partners, and loving foster families, animals like these rely on our collective hard work to get the life they deserve.

On behalf of the animals, thank you to everyone who played a role in this significant rescue.

Do you have the land, the time and the heart to foster farm animals in need? Learn more on this page of our website.