Stacks of cages packed with more than a hundred chickens - some with beaks cut off and a few lying dead - were seized along with a variety of other farm animals yesterday from a South City resident who was reportedly about to sacrifice the animals.
More than 100 chickens, a dozen pygmy goats, several rabbits and a pot belly pig were among the animals taken yesterday morning from the garage and small backyard at 870 Grand Ave. in South San Francisco. The woman who lived at the nondescript duplex, located along a quiet, residential neighborhood, did not have a permit for the farm animals, which is required in the city.
"They were in filthy, crowded conditions," said Scott Delucchi, spokesman for the Peninsula Humane Society.
A man at the home said they were being used for Santeria, a religious sect that calls for the sacrifice of chickens and other animals, Delucchi said. The religious sacrifice of animals is not illegal in California, but Delucchi said the conditions under which the animals were kept may have been unlawful.
One pygmy goat, which usually stands about 15 inches tall, was reportedly being kept in a plastic Tupperware container, Delucchi said. Some baby goats had severe diarrhea and others had damage to their eyes, said PHS veterinarian Maureen Lee.
The chicken cages were found in the garage, Lee said.
"It was standing room only," she said.
The woman at the home willingly surrendered the animals, Delucchi said. Many of the animals will likely have to be euthanized if they are found to be suffering from the abusive conditions, he said. Any spared animals will be put up for adoption. Surprisingly, Delucchi said it's not rare for people to adopt seized farm animals after reading about their tragic lives in the paper. Once, the PHS helped a 500-pound pig find a home.
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As for the woman who was keeping the animals, Delucchi said the PHS will collect evidence and make a recommendation to the District Attorney's Office on whether to file charges.
Permits are needed to keep farm animals in South City, said Humane Officer Bill Brissenden. The woman at the home could not present one when PHS arrived at her house yesterday.
Although the PHS often gets anecdotal evidence that Santeria is practiced throughout the county, Delucchi said it's hard to determine just how rampant it is.
"We'll find chicken remains in an alley way behind the house, but it's hard to speculate," he said.
It's not the only twist that made yesterday's seizure - which required multiple trips from PHS trucks - so unusual. In the last few years, PHS has only gotten a few calls of a similar scale.
As unusual the call was, however, a few other extraordinary cases surfaced in recent times.
During the summer of 2002, PHS officials helped seize hundreds of guinea pigs from a Hollister home.
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