In February 2024, the MSPCA Law Enforcement team, alongside Ayer Police, was called to a property in Ayer, MA, after it was discovered that over 150 animals were living in unsanitary conditions without access to food or water.
While on the scene, officers noticed several animals in desperate need of medical care, and it was clear they needed intervention. The MSPCA Law Enforcement team and Ayer Police seized the animals to get them the care they needed as soon as possible.
Their previous guardian was charged with 30 counts of animal cruelty and agreed to surrender all of the animals to the MSPCA-Angell: Nevins Farm. Among the animals were 91 chickens, 11 ducks, eight geese, two ponies, and 49 horned goats, including some of whom were pregnant and many seniors.
Once in Nevins Farm’s care, the staff prioritized returning the animals to good health. For some, it was as simple as making sure they were getting nutritious meals to keep their bellies full and put on some weight. Others required specialty medical care, like a goose that received surgery performed by avian specialist Dr. Anne Staudenmaier at the MSPCA-Angell West in Waltham. One thing was clear — these animals were fortunate to end up at Nevins Farm, where they had access to the best care possible.
It took some time to get all 49 goats ready for adoption — the pregnant mamas had to give birth, the seniors benefited from some extra TLC, and many of the males needed to be castrated. But come June, they were ready! Historically, goats are adopted quickly once available. Still, this intake came on the heels of a busy intake season, including 130 goats from one property and another goat seizure from an ASPCA case in Owego, NY.
Knowing that horned goats can be more challenging to place, and Nevins Farm had several seniors who are often overlooked, it was decided to host an open house goat adoption event to get them all into homes as soon as possible. And it was a huge success — in one weekend, all available goats had found loving homes and got the happy ending they deserved!
