PHOTOS: Animals removed from Hampshire farm
Animal Control officials are removing the animals from what they call inhumane conditions discovered on a farm where there were several dead animals. Last week, the owner of the animals was arrested and faces animal cruelty charges.
Animal Control normally works with smaller animals, so it asked for help with trailers and people with experience with farm animals. Kim Baldyga came from Field of Dreams Horse Rescue and Adoption in Batavia to help.
"The fact that it's horses, llamas, goats, alpacas, bunnies, chickens," Baldyga said.
Al Lenkaitis is a dairy farmer.
"We brought the truck and trailer. I brought one employee with so we can help move animals or see where it's needed," Lenkaitis said.
Kane County asked for the public to help in Tuesday's removal just the day before.
"We put this out last night at 9 o'clock and the next thing you know we had, I had 98 missed phone calls on my office line. I was getting phone calls all evening on my cell," Robert Sauceda, Kane County Animal Control, said.
The response to help has been overwhelming.
"And that's just kind of normal in the farm community. Everybody likes to get out and help if there's an issue and take care of it," Lenkaitis said.
"It's a happy task. In the end that's the way it is. They come in unhappy and they leave in a better situation," Baldyga said of the animals.
The animals will be moved to an undisclosed location and nursed back to health. Animal Control officials hope to adopt them out in a couple of weeks.
