This week, animal rescue organizations rushed to offer assistance to what appears to be a massive animal hoarding situation in eastern Iowa. Lonnie Viner of the Cedar Valley Humane Society says 898 live small animals came out of the Vinton home where the seizure was made.
On this news buzz edition of River to River, host Ben Kieffer talks with Preston Moore, director of development and community outreach at the Cedar Valley Humane Society, about how the organization is handling the sudden influx of animals from Vinton, as well as another recent animal hoarding situation involving 20 dogs.
"This isn't something you can get used to," says Preston. "When we got the call saying there were several hundred animals, we prepared for the worst case scenario [...] but by expecting the worst, we really weren't even prepared. It was even worse than that."
Neighbors nearby the Vinton home called attention to the situation by contacting police. Preston says that's the first step in addressing the problem if someone suspects an animal hoarding situation.
"If somebody is concerned about something they see with animals, we always, always recommend that they reach out to law enforcement in their area," he says.
Other interviews on this show include conversations with: Iowa Public Radio reporters Joyce Russell, Katarina Sostaric, and Amy Mayer, Iowa State University political scientist Dave Andersen, and Bill Petroski, senior reporter at The Des Moines Register.
