Ontario has euthanized 84 raccoons who were suffering from diseases while being held in a rehab centre.
Mally’s Third Chance Raccoon Rescue in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario is being accused of mistreating animals and allowing them to suffer without any way of actually saving them, The Canadian Press reports.
Last year, Now Toronto reported that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) packed up nearly 100 raccoons and removed them from the sanctuary.
At the time, staff members described it as a military raid and feared the raccoons would be executed without just cause. The MNRF also confirmed with Now Toronto that it first opened its investigation on Sep. 26, 2023.
As a result, authorities now say they had to put down seven dozen raccoons who were reportedly suffering from disease after testing positive for canine distemper, which is caused by a virus that is commonly found in wild raccoons.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, the virus attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous system. The sickness is fatal and can kill an animal in weeks, if not days.
So far, many charges have been laid and court documents show the owners of Mally’s, Derek Zavitsky and Barbara Zavitsky, face 18 counts and 23 counts, respectively, under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, according to reports.
The wildlife rehabilitator’s custodian licence has also been revoked.
