Faeces-littered floors, rotting eggs and an 'overwhelming stench of urine': Inside the squalid home where a woman lived with 34 ducks, four chickens and a guinea pig - as she's fined $42,000 for animal neglect

  • A woman was fined $42,000 for living in poor conditions with various animals
  • She kept 34 ducks, four chickens, three cats, two dogs and a guinea pig at home
  • Rachel Staines, 37, pleaded guilty before the court for animal neglect
  • Police and RSPCA found that the woman's home was littered with faeces 

A woman was fined $42,000 for keeping 34 ducks, four chickens, three cats, two dogs and a guinea pig in her home under poor living conditions. 

Rachel Staines, 37, pleaded guilty before the Beenleigh Magistrates Court in Queensland for animal neglect. She will be paying a total of $42,409.50 for vet and boarding costs and an additional $92.90 for legal costs.  

Animal protection service RSPCA Australia also found that Ms Staines breached her duty of care to the animals upon inspection of her faeces-littered home, according to The Courier Mail.    

He added that Ms Staines was 'genuinely trying to look after' the animals

He added that Ms Staines was 'genuinely trying to look after' the animals

Rachel Staines, 37, (pictured) pleaded guilty before the Beenleigh Magistrates Court in Queensland for animal neglect

Rachel Staines, 37, (pictured) pleaded guilty before the Beenleigh Magistrates Court in Queensland for animal neglect

In September last year, neighbours reported to the RSPCA that the herd of animals were being kept inside Ms Staines' Beaudesert home. 

The following month, police and the RSPCA executed a search warrant of Ms Staines' home, where they found that 'there was a strong odour faeces and urine emanating from the house', The Courier Mail reported. 

However Mrs Staines has hit back at the RSPCA via her social media in a scathing post. 

'This is about the mistreatment, blatant lies and preset agenda of rspca (sic) and the way they've intentionally orchestrated, lied, intimidated, bullied, harrassed (sic) and run their own agenda from the very beginning,' she claimed on Facebook. 

'We are about to lose our precious ducks because of their vet's fabricated and trumped up so called ''expert opinion'' and the fact that they had absolutely no intention whatsoever of returning them to us,' she continued.

'Irrespective of the fact they had no case - they did what they had to and stooped as low as necessary just to get another ''notch in their belt''.'

Solicitor Karl Brandon said that his client admitted that her home had unsanitary living conditions but also defended Ms Staines by saying that this was only a temporary situation 

Solicitor Karl Brandon said that his client admitted that her home had unsanitary living conditions but also defended Ms Staines by saying that this was only a temporary situation 

Animal protection service RSPCA Australia also found that Ms Staines breached her duty of care to the animals upon inspection of her faeces-littered home

Animal protection service RSPCA Australia also found that Ms Staines breached her duty of care to the animals upon inspection of her faeces-littered home

She also went on to claim that the RSPCA had no reason to take her animals from her.

'I know our story is far from unique, in fact so far from it, it's tragic, I KNOW there are so many others out there who've had their animals taken from them by RSPCA for absolutely NO legit reason, been treated like criminals and in the end,' she wrote. 

The court also heard that some of the ducks and chickens were underweight and suffering from mild bumblefoot, a bacterial infection and inflammatory reaction on the bird's feet.

One chicken was also euthanised due to septic arthritis. 

The court also heard that some of the ducks and chickens were underweight and suffering from mild bumblefoot, a bacterial infection and inflammatory reaction on the bird's feet

The court also heard that some of the ducks and chickens were underweight and suffering from mild bumblefoot, a bacterial infection and inflammatory reaction on the bird's feet

Solicitor Karl Brandon said that his client admitted that her home had unsanitary living conditions but also defended Ms Staines by saying that this was only a temporary situation until the straws were replaced. 

Mr Brandon also told the court that Ms Staines took the animals inside her home because the council previously seized some of them due to a noise complaint. 

He added that Ms Staines was 'genuinely trying to look after' the animals.

Ms Staines has been banned from owning animals for two years and was put on 12 months' probation.  

A woman was fined $42,000 for keeping 34 ducks, four chickens, three cats, two dogs and a guinea pig in her home under poor living conditions 

A woman was fined $42,000 for keeping 34 ducks, four chickens, three cats, two dogs and a guinea pig in her home under poor living conditions 


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