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.
I love animals as much as the next guy…maybe more so. But is this insane or what? I mean I have paid people to kill the little bastards, does that make me an accomplice?
Animal cruelty laws shouldn’t apply to all animals. I’m not sure how they’re written, but they *should* just list the animals the law applies to.
I don’t see many people wanting the law applied to more than cats and dogs.
Monkeys, whales, seal pups, elephants, wolves, convicts, opposition party members, muslims, === all kinds of animals need protection.
But seriously folks, the concept is not to protect “animals” but rather to protect humans.
# 21 brm said
I don’t see many people wanting the law applied to more than cats and dogs.
Obviously a city boy. How about horses? Guinea pigs? Ferrets? Aquarium fish? etc….
J/P=?
OK, someone’s got to ask. Is this story about Obama leaving the Senate?
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He should have sold them to people with pet snakes or just let them out of the cages. Hawks, owls and other animals would have had a good feed.
When you take a pet, you are implicitly agreeing to care for said pet for life.
Rats happen to be quite intelligent.
I heard one story of a woman with a pet white rat who would let it roam free. When her house burned, the rat, rather than leave the house like the proverbial rats jumping from a sinking ship, licked the woman’s face until she woke up. The rat saved her life.
I think when the man took in these rats as pets he took an obligation to care for them. I agree with this sentence.
#2 – bobbo,
You’ve got it. It’s the tail. People would react very differently if these were hamsters. And, hamsters are less intelligent, even according to a friend who has had many hamsters and has loved them all. (Hey, even I can see the difference in personality ?hamsterality? among her different hamsters. And, rats are smarter and probably have even more ?ratality?.)
Who thinks squirrels are cute and rats are ugly? Why?
#23 John Paradox:
“How about horses?”
Horses taste good, and it’s fun to bet on races, so I’d rather not see the cruelty laws applied to them.
Whomever likes rats didn’t read 1984.
#29 – Pat M,
Read it. Also saw Willard. I still like rats. When I see them in the subway, I consider myself lucky that I’ve managed to get a wildlife sighting on a work day. Although, there are a few that don’t look too healthy, a bit mangy, and some carry switchblades. Most are cute though.