162 farm animals rescued, others found dead; Woman facing 30 counts of animal abuse

AYER, Mass. (TND) — Authorities said at least 160 farm animals were rescued -- and several others were found dead -- at a squalid property in Massachusetts.

Now, a 77-year-old woman is facing multiple charges.

Ruth Maxant-Schulz, of Ayer, was arraigned on 30 counts of animal cruelty on Monday, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a news release.

The animals were seized in February and included 91 chickens, 49 goats, 11 ducks, eight geese, two ponies, and a dog.

Ryan said Maxant-Schulz surrendered them all to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell, or MSPCA-Angell.

These animals have been through a lot,” MSPCA-Angell Vice President of Animal Protection Mike Keiley said in a separate release. "But now that they’re in our care, we're focused on helping them get back to good health -- including getting them to adequate body weights -- and placing them into homes where they’ll get the love and care they deserve."

According to Ryan, the Ayer Police Department responded to the property for a well-being check on Feb. 20. Officers, said Ryan, found multiple dead animals inside and outside the home.

Officers saw two dead goats at the front door of the house and could see through a window several goats inside a room that was covered in trash, animal feces, and debris," Ryan said.

She added that officers also saw four dead baby goats inside the home, with a fifth barely alive. There was also a dog barking, as well as a duck walking around the house.

"The Ayer Animal Control Officer was notified and upon arrival she heard baby goats making crying sounds and did not see any food or water set out for them," Ryan noted.

The officers left and returned to the property a few days later with a search warrant, said Ryan, and saw birds in a dog cage with no food or water.

Authorities also found dead and decomposing chickens, as well as a goat that was limping around the property with a broken leg.

Of the animals seized from the property, there were specific injuries and medical issues noted, including emaciated animals and goats with severe abscesses and mastitis," Ryan said. "Several fowl seized on property were treated for lice."

The animals are getting some much-needed love and care at MSPCA-Angell. Some of the goats are pregnant, while others need surgery.

In addition to caring for the pregnant goats and their eventual babies, we need to castrate the males, and some of the birds also need additional treatment, including a poor goose that has a tumor on its eyelid," Keiley said, adding that Avian and Exotics specialist Dr. Anne Staudenmaier at Angell West in Waltham is set to perform surgery on the goose and many of the other rescued birds.

It’s really fortunate that these animals came to Nevins, where we have access to world-class veterinarians like Dr. Staudenmaier,” said Keiley. “But this kind of specialized care, on top of the basic care many of them need just to get healthy, puts an incredible strain on resources.”

Keiley estimated costs to treat the animals have already reached at least $20,000. He also said,the animals will need loving homes once they are fully rehabilitated.

“Getting all of these animals ready for adoption will take an extraordinary amount of work, given the condition they arrived in,” Keiley said. “But there are some goats, ducks, geese, and roosters at Nevins who are ready to find their forever homes now.”

As for the previous owner, Maxant-Schulz was ordered to no longer own, work, or live with animals, as well as have no unsupervised contact with animals. She is set to appear in court for a pretrial hearing on June 20.

The investigation is ongoing.

Donations to help support the animals can be made online at mspca.org/ayer. Potential adopters were urged to submit an inquiry at mspca.org/nevinsadopt.