On Friday 28 March, at the request of the Walloon Region’s Animal Welfare Unit, we took emergency action alongside the associations Le Rêve d’Aby, Equichance and Au Bonheur Animal to rescue 30 severely neglected sheep in Rochefort.
This was not a first: last summer, goats, sheep and poultry had already had to be seized from the same owner. This time again, we discovered two lots where the animals were in a state of great suffering: severe mange, extreme emaciation, rotten hooves, skin wounds… One of the sheep couldn’t even walk.
The conditions were appalling. To capture the animals, we had to enter a shed saturated with excrement and urine. Despite the evidence, the owner tried to stop the seizure, denying any negligence.
We took charge of four ewes, which are now safe at the Refuge du Marais. They are receiving first aid in quarantine, in a calm and clean environment. We’ll be bringing you news of them soon.
A damning veterinary report has been drawn up, and legal proceedings are underway. We hope that the sheep will be able to stay in the shelters that rescued them.
The Veeweyde team