An 18-year-old man has been fined and prohibited from owning animals for the next decade in connection to his involvement in an unauthorized animal rescue agency.
In March of 2013, the Calgary Humane Society charged 18-year-old Austin Wiltzen under the Animal Protection Act. The charges were related to nine animals in Wiltzen’s care which were found to be in distress. The animals were available for sale online as part of Wiltzen's Calgary Critter Care rescue agency.
On Wednesday, Wiltzen was found guilty and received a $700 fine. Among the terms of the conviction, Wiltzen is prohibited from owning animals for the next ten years.
“The message here is to know your limits, whether as a pet owner or as a rescue group,” said Brad Nichols, Calgary Humane Society’s Cruelty Investigations manager.
“Wiltzen is a young individual who will likely have a new outlook on the responsibility that comes with custody of animals when he is again allowed to have them in his late twenties.”
