Nearly two weeks after the San Diego Humane Society began recovering hundreds of animals at the Villa Chardonnay property in Julian, SDHS on Wednesday transported 65 cats to Humane Society of North Texas.
San Diego Humane Society animal care and medical staff at the organization's San Diego and El Cajon campuses started at 4 a.m., evaluating the cats before placing them in crates and taking them to Gillespie Field in El Cajon, according to the organization. A Wings of Rescue flight landed in Fort Worth, Texas, and the cats were taken successfully to HSNT.
"We are very grateful for the help from HSNT during this challenging time, as San Diego Humane Society is close to setting a new record for number of animals in care. We currently have 2,515 animals in care," according to a statement from the nonprofit. "At the Villa Chardonnay property in Julian, six additional horses were reunited with their previous owners today, bringing the total reunions to: 14 horses, one cat and one dog."
Since the rescue efforts began on May 1, more than 700 animals have been located on the property, including: 446 cats, 175 horses, 30 dogs, 30 chickens, 12 goats and dozens of other animals.
The Humane Farming Association, a nonprofit focused on protecting farm animals, said it conducted a yearlong investigation into Villa Chardonnay Horses with Wings for alleged "operational concerns and animal neglect," which led to this month's rescues.
After receiving court approval to conduct a veterinary inspection of the animals, HFA says it found "sick and injured animals who appeared to be neglected and were left to suffer in an ammonia-filled `hospice barn,' with an apparent lack of adequate clean shelter or true palliative care. Many of the farm animals were kept in small, substandard pens without access to the outdoors, and harsh conditions caused some animals to attack each other and/or self-mutilate."
HFA says the farm animals recovered during the operation will be transported to the organization's ranch in Elk Creek, where they will provided "permanent homes and lifetime care."
On its website, the 23-year-old sanctuary is described as a shelter where animals who have been "abandoned, neglected or abused ... find love, safety and a second chance at life" and "live out their days in peace and comfort."
Heidi Redman, a spokeswoman for the sanctuary, defended the work of Villa Chardonnay founder Monika Kerber.
"There is no neglect, no abuse of any of these animals. They were well taken care of," Redman told City News Service earlier this month. "There is definitely another side to this story and it should be told. They're (Kerber and her partner, Mercedes Flores) devastated. These animals were like their children. They (investigators) even took their house dogs, their personal dogs."
SDHS says its medical teams are providing exams for the recovered animals, many of which are being treated for conditions that include malnutrition, emaciation, untreated open wounds and contagious infections such as ringworm and giardia.
Some of the animals were "in such critical condition that humane euthanasia was necessary to prevent further suffering," including four horses, a pony, a bull and one kitten.
SDHS President and CEO Dr. Gary Weitzman said in a statement last week, "It truly is appalling. There is no question at all about the neglect, at the very least, that occurred out there. I am very happy that these animals have a new chance at life."
