90 Cats and Dogs Rescued from ‘Large-Scale Cruelty Situation’ in Mississippi

Today, 55 dogs and 34 cats are finally getting the care they deserve after being rescued from a “large-scale cruelty situation” in Jones County, Mississippi, reports The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

HSUS, along with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and Southern Cross Animal Rescue, pulled the animals from a residence on a 161-acre property on Wednesday after the Jones County Sheriff’s Department served a search and seizure warrant.

According to HSUS, “the animals appeared to suffer from a lack of veterinary care and were housed in conditions typically seen in severe neglect situations.”

Photos from the rescue show the animals with dirty fur sitting in filthy cages. All of the cats and dogs removed from the property have been moved to an emergency shelter by HSUS’ Animal Rescue team and are receiving the immediate medical care they need from veterinarians.

“All animals should have access to adequate veterinary care and none should be forced to live in conditions like we have seen today,” Sára Varsa, vice president of the Humane Society of the United States Animal Rescue Team, said in a statement. “We are thankful to the Southern Cross Animal Rescue and other organizations that have answered the call to help these animals.”

HSUS was called in by the local sheriff’s department after authorities and Southern Cross Animal Rescue became concerned about the welfare of the animals that lived on the property.

“The Jones County Sheriff’s Department works to give the citizens of Jones County a safe place to live, and that is not limited to the people. Our pets are our family and deserve a healthy atmosphere. Situations like these, though this particular incident seems quite massive, are more than unfortunate, they are unfair and unnecessary,” Sheriff Alex Hodge stated in a HSUS release about the rescue.

HSUS hopes that this rescue can lead to change in Mississippi’s animal cruelty laws. The state is one of only two “without felony penalties for egregious animal cruelty, such as torture or starvation, on the first offense. No matter how depraved an act of animal cruelty is, law enforcement can only charge the offender with a misdemeanor if he or she doesn’t have a previous conviction for animal cruelty.”

While a generous donation has been provided to care for these animals, you can still donate to their care and the care of other HSUS rescues here.