'Hoarding situation': 400 guinea pigs saved from California property
A Southern California nonprofit announced it rescued around 400 guinea pigs this week from a Los Angeles property where they slept outside "with improper food, water, and care."
The Southern California Guinea Pig Rescue said in a July 21 Facebook post that it received a request from the Los Angeles Animal Services (LAAS) on July 15 regarding "a hoarding situation" in South Los Angeles involving up to 200 guinea pigs in need of rescue.
Animal Services told the nonprofit that the owner of the guinea pigs was facing eviction from her rental property unless all the animals were removed by July 19, according to the social media post. At this point, the nonprofit made contact with the tenant, who allowed them to come by the property on July 17 to begin removing the guinea pigs.
Paste BN contacted LAAS on July 26 but has not received a response.
Guinea pig removal process begins
While removing the guinea pigs, the nonprofit said in the Facebook post that "it became immediately clear that the situation was critical." Rescuers noticed "pervasive medical conditions" in the animals, including ringworm, pregnancies, open wounds and neurological issues, the post said, adding that the guinea pigs also "lacked access to adequate space, bedding, water, and food."
The number of guinea pigs may have increased without intervention due to the males and females not being separated, or fixed, according to rescuers. Guinea pigs can reproduce at 3 weeks of age and can become pregnant within hours of giving birth, the nonprofit added.
The nonprofit managed to rescue 33 guinea pigs from the property and said Los Angeles Animal Services would remove the remaining animals.
Remaining guinea pigs removed from LA property
In a July 24 Facebook post, the nonprofit wrote that Animal Services removed all remaining guinea pigs from the property that afternoon.
"We know that females and young babies went to (Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue and Adoption Center), and the remaining boys were booked into LAAS to be split up between the 6 city shelters," the post reads.
The post also contains the written reaction of Southern California Guinea Pig Rescue co-founder and CEO Valerie Warren to the entire situation: "The last week has been one of the most draining ones of my rescue career. The emotional toll of being on that property a week ago with my 4 rescue colleagues has been a heavy one, but tonight I will be able to breathe a sigh of relief and sleep much better than I have in a week."
According to Warren, Animal Services does not have the exact headcount for the rescued guinea pigs, but she said the nonprofit's early estimate of 300 to 400 animals appears to be correct.
"We are SO relieved these pigs are out of that situation," Warren wrote.
In a statement to Paste BN, the rescue group said it is "thrilled to report that some of the piggies from the LA 400 are already being adopted from the LA shelters."
"The magnitude of the LA 400 situation is heartbreaking and astonishing, but sadly, overbreeding isn’t a unique problem," the statement reads. "Rescues and shelters across the United States are inundated with surrenders and abandonments, and it has reached a breaking point."
Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for Paste BN. Reach him at JLimehouse@gannett.com.