82 animals seized from Alberta rural property during police investigation
Southern Alberta RCMP have charged a 44-year-old man in connection with an investigation that saw 82 animals in distress seized from a home in Mountain View County, north of Calgary.
The investigation began on April 22, when Mounties arrested a man leaving a rural property with a truck hauling a trailer loaded with a skid steer. All of the vehicles turned out to be stolen, police said, so they obtained a search warrant for the home.
Officers arrested a resident and located the following during the search:
- Six stolen trucks;
- Four utility trailers;
- A Polaris ATV;
- A Raptor Keystone RV;
- Two flat deck trailers;
- Two shotguns;
- A bolt-action rifle;
- Two .22-calibre rifles;
- Thousands of rounds of ammunition;
- Six industrial heaters; and
- A red Norco Sight VLT 12-speed mountain bike with the serial number removed.
In addition with the stolen property, police also discovered numerous animals in distress.
Fifty-six dogs of various breeds were seized from the property, as well as 10 sheep, nine llamas, four chickens and three geese.
The investigation into the welfare of the animals is being conducted by the Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
- Sign up for breaking news alerts from CTV News, right at your fingertips
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Michael McGill, of Mountain View County, is charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, failure to comply with a release order and unauthorized possession of a firearm.
No charges have been laid against the accused in relation to the animals as the SPCA's investigation is still ongoing.
However, the organization says the additional seizures have added to "an extensive list" of animals in the SPCA's care.
Officials say since March, 250 animals have been seized by or surrendered to the agency, with the most coming from four investigations.
"Our team, and the animal welfare community as a whole, is facing unprecedented pressure this spring," said Alberta SPCA executive director Leanne Niblock in a news release.
"Rising costs of living, lingering impacts of the pandemic, and climate change leading to drought and wildfire just exacerbate the already desperate situation. These large rescues add enormously to the pressure, and to be blunt, to our expenses."
If anyone is looking to help the SPCA care for seized animals, they can do so by fostering or donating funds.
Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson for the SPCA told CTV News that the dogs won't be available until they're given medical clearance.
“We’re getting a lot of calls from people who want to foster or adopt these dogs (as we expected)," he said. "If it’s possible to mention in the story that the animals are being medically evaluated and are not available for adoption at this time, we’d appreciate it.”
Additional details can be found on the SPCA's website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Gaza's Rafah ahead of an expected assault
The Israeli army on Monday ordered tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza's southern city of Rafah to start evacuating from the area, signalling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent.