Hundreds of animals in ‘distress’ rescued from shelter northwest of Edmonton, RCMP say

Mounties in Valleyview, Alta., say they are investigating allegations of animals in distress and potential animal cruelty at a shelter within their jurisdiction.

Authorities say they took in hundreds of surrendered animals — including cats, dogs, horses, and other livestock — “in varying states of distress.”

Valleyview RCMP were helped by the Canadian Animal Task Force and the Alberta Animals Rescue Crew Society.

The Alberta SPCA says the sudden, enormous surrender of livestock and pets needs to be spread throughout all shelters to ensure the animals are cared for, and the system is overloaded.

“We’re in a crisis situation. The whole community is in a crisis. There’s simply not enough space,” said Leanne Niblock, the executive director of the Alberta SPCA.

Niblock says this couldn’t have come at a worse time, as shelters are already juggling very limited finances and even fewer spaces for animals.

She adds that while the number of animals is this case is tremendous and rare, the issue is, it’s not new.

“It’s not unusual for us to go to a property and have to seize or surrender 40 or 50 animals at one time. This is a large file and a number of animals involved, but unfortunately, it’s becoming more normal,” she explained.

Multiple shelters that stepped up to help are now calling on the community for help, through donations or fostering.

The Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society (AARCS) in Calgary partnered with police and says the conditions the animals were living in were simply not acceptable. But, they are thankful for those who have already supported the rescue.

“The Valleyview community has really stepped up to help us with not just feeding our volunteers but also gassing up our vehicles and doing tons for us. They’ve gone above and beyond to help with us and the animals,” said Kayli McClelland, the communications specialist with AARCS.

The shelter in question, near Valleyview — about 350 kilometres northwest of Edmonton — is now shut down. CityNews has also been unable to get in touch with the owner.

The Alberta SPCA hopes this is a wake-up call to change current animal welfare laws.

“If communities and municipalities had better bylaws, or any bylaws, when it comes to the number of animals people can have, if local enforcement agencies were enforcing those bylaws, maybe this never would’ve happened,” said Niblock.

RCMP says charges are pending the results of vet reports, and more details on the investigation are expected next week.