Posted on 01/22/2009 8:55:36 AM PST by rabscuttle385
He did not want the rats living with his new baby.
BY BRUCE MORIN
WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) - A Providence man is in trouble after he abandoned nearly 300 rats on the side of the road.
The man, Toby Duffany, pleaded no contest to animal abandonment and was ordered to pay $1000 restitution and perform 50 hours of community service.
Police say Duffany crammed 280 rats into aquariums and cages, and left them on the side of the road in Foster last month. The rats were discovered several days after they were abandoned. 72 rats had died and the rest had resorted to cannibalism.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals euthanized the living rats.
In court, Duffany said he got rid of the rats because they could not live in his apartment with his new baby. The Rhode Island SPCA was disappointed with the punishment.
You really have to wonder about the soundness of minds of someone who would keep 300 rats in their house. At least he did chose the baby over the rats.
When you keep animals, you accept responsibility for their care and abusing animals of any type is simply unacceptable.
The guy should have gotten a heavier sentence or been sent to jail.
What a jerk.
Why did he have so many rats anyway?
He doesn’t know any large snake owners?
First, laws against abandoning rats... Next, laws against voting them out of office or saying unflattering things about them. That’s how tyranny is done.
I’ve had a pet rat before. They are actually really sweet animals when hand raised.
You know they are actually noble creatures compared to the human variety.
I think he probably would have been okay just releasing the rats, but he left them in containers to starve. That’s pretty cruel (or thoughtless).
What a shame. Most pet stores that sell reptiles would have bought them as feeders. At least they would have died quickly and served a purpose....
I breed rats and mice for my reptiles. They are actually pretty cool pets.
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