Man spared jail for abandoning 280 rats

[Liberal_in_LA]

Man spared jail for abandoning 280 rats

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28796692/

WARWICK, R.I. - A man who abandoned 280 white rats found dead and dying in crowded carriers was ordered to pay $1,000 restitution and perform 50 hours of community service.

Toby Duffany pleaded no contest Wednesday to a single count of animal abandonment.

Authorities say the 22-year-old Duffany left the rats crammed into aquariums and cages by the side of a road in Foster last month. By the time they were discovered on Dec. 30, the animals had been there several days, 72 were dead and the survivors had resorted to cannibalism.

The living rats were euthanized by the state Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Duffany’s mother had started with one or two pet rats that multiplied quickly, said David Holden, inspector for the group.

Duffany said in court he got rid of the rats because he and his fiancee just had a baby. The couple share a small house with his mother. He said that at his mother’s request, he tried without success to get various pet stores to take the rats before abandoning them.

Veterinarian E.J. Finnocchio, the group’s president, said he was disappointed with the sentence. Duffany could have faced charges of malicious injury to animals.

“I’m waiting for the day to come when the message is sent that in Rhode Island, you will not get away with doing these things,” Finnocchio said.

By state law, the SPCA had to euthanize the survivors because of uncertainty about their health, and each had to be put down separately, he said. The SPCA put total cost of the killing and cremation at $5,000.

[Cronus Protagonist]

1. Vermin

Are they now going to charge the people who buy rat traps? What about the poison ones that make them bleed internally until they die? Or the glue traps that leave them defenseless to starve or be eaten alive?

It seems hypocritical to me.

[originalpckelly]

3. Holy shit, same wavelength. And what people who own pet snakes...

they eat rats/mice now don't they?

[Cronus Protagonist]

4. Yup. double standard

I committed genocide on a nest of cockroaches a few months back. Should I be fined?

[SoCalNative]

7. There's a difference between the rats of the "wild"

variety that infest your homes and grain silos and those, as in this case, that are bought from stores or the like and raised as pets.

[Cronus Protagonist]

15. What's the difference?

haha... you know the answer. None. A rat is a rat.

[Lorien]

18. Same difference between any animals. We eat cattle and pigs but not

dogs and humans. Mammals are mammals, right? So why to eat each other? Domestic rats and wild rats are viewed differently for the same reasons; they have different places in our own specie's hierarchy. Regardless, people should never just kill an animal for the hell of it, or let ANY animal suffer and die like that on a roadside. There's no humanity in that.

[Cronus Protagonist]

19. No no no no pigs are not vermin, and neither are cattle

Same laws apply if they're pets, on a farm, in a pen or at the slaughterhouse. I see no reason to worry about the "dignity" of vermin.

[mike_c]

8. not necessarily true....

In fact, pretty unlikely. There are at least 56 species of rat, i.e. members of the genius Rattus and a bunch more that are taxonomically shakey. Only two of those are commonly considered "vermin," at least in this country, and then only when wild. Brown rats domesticate quite well (but abandoning them is not only cruel, it potentially augments the wild rat population).

[originalpckelly]

2. What about rat traps? Being left in the cold is a bad thing...

but so is having your head squished/back broken. On top of that there is the rat poison, that's not nice stuff either. Is it wrong because these rats were pets? The question of vermin owned as pets raises some interesting questions. When does it become cruel? When society thinks so?

[lonestarnot]

6. Not in my traps. They only cold cuz they is dead. :)

[lonestarnot]

5. Ugh why?

[juno jones]

9. "Duffany’s mother had started with one or two pet rats that multiplied quickly"

I had pet rats for awhile including taking on a couple of decent sized litters that people needed to get rid of. It's not that hard to separate males from females and thus prevent further multiplication. Turn them over, it's pretty damn obvious which is which, the boys have balls the size of walnuts.

I'm surprised he and his fiancee could figure out the plumbing to reproduce themselves.

I still miss some of my favorite rat companions. If given time and love they are as affectionate as any other creature and will respond to commands, etc.

[Jokerman]

10. I hate rats...

but what this guy did WAS animal cruelty and he is getting off easy.

He is no better than any asshole who thinks pets are disposable.

There is no comparison to trapping and killing vermin that invade your home.

If a dog were threatening the safety of me or my family and the only way to stop it was to kill it, I would do so without hesitation, but to raise it as a pet and then abandon it to die an agonizing death is not even close to the same thing.

At the very least the jackass should be on the hook for the cost incurred by the humane society.

[Lorien]

17. Well put. nt

[kestrel91316]

11. As a veterinarian who occasionally treats pet rats, this makes me ill.

Many of my rat patients were "feeders" at one time. They are as intelligent as dogs, and can be quite affectionate. They make great pets for people allergic to dogs/cats.

There is no call for such cruelty just because they are rats.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

14. Rats are smart as heck and crave affection...

I saw a great special on them where scientists created a maze that concluded two different ways: one way the rat got some tasty treat, the other way the rat got a belly rub. One the rats were taught the choices the maze presented them, they ivariable chose the belly rub. And the kicker was, they recorded the sounds the rats made during the belly rub and found if played back at a certain speed, it sounded like the rats were giggling. :D

This story makes me very sad indeed. :(

[Lorien]

16. I had just about every type of pet imaginable growing up

dogs, cats, ferrets, birds, fish, salamanders, rabbits, hamsters, a chinchilla, a duck, etc. The ones I was fondest of were my collie and my rat Elsa. Elsa seemed just about as smart as my dogs; she did tricks, came when I called her, craved affection and was very neat and clean. I still can't kill a rat to this day because of my experience with her. A friend of mine had pet crocodiles that he fed rats, and one day one started licking his hand before he threw it into their cage. He spared that rat, who was very tame and affectionate. Eventually he got rid of the reptiles but kept his rat. Years later when the rat died he was devastated. I remember that he didn't even come into work that day and was quiet and down the rest of the week. His stories about his pet rat inspired other coworkers to get there own, and everyone that did just loved them.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

20. That's a nice story.

I like rats too.

[NeedleCast]

12. Duffany’s mother had started with one or two pet

If it was only one rat, and quickly multiplied, I may have to change my stance on religion.

[surrealAmerican]

21. If it was one, ...

... it might have been pregnant when she got it.

[Starry Messenger]

13. Horrible. Poor babies.

I hate reading stories like this. Pet rats are very sweet and smart. This is a terrible ending for any animal. I've had pet rats, so this always makes me tear up. People hoard rodents because they are easy to hide and don't make a lot of noise. Unfortunately they breed like crazy. This probably happened so fast, the guy didn't react very well. Usually this happens when the owner has health issues. There are rat rescues that deal with this sort of thing though. :(