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58 Malnourished Animals Rescued from Alleged 'Backyard Butcher'
County officials seized 58 malnourished and abused animals from a "backyard butcher" in Santa Clarita Valley.
The homeowner, who was not named, was legally allowed to butcher his own meat, KTLA reported. The problem was that officials found out he was allegedly selling the meat he butchered to other people, which is illegal (and based on the appearance of the animals, probably pretty unhealthy).
County officials seized two dozen goats and sheep, 5 cows, 19 fowl, 1 horse and a cat, and brought them to an animal rescue organization The Gentle Barn. The animals were underfed, sick and had infected wounds, the rescue organization said.
"They pretty much had two feet in the grave," Gentle Barn Founder Ellie Laks told KTLA.
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