Peace officers with the Calgary Humane Society have seized more than 50 animals from a basement suite in the city’s northwest.
The animals, including snakes, reptiles, fish, rodents, birds and rabbits, had all been obtained free through Kijiji.
When officers arrived at the scene late Thursday night, they found many of the animals had already died of severe neglect.
The remaining animals, most of them malnourished and dehydrated, have been receiving emergency medical care at the shelter and their condition has already improved.
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Charges aren’t expected to be laid for several weeks.
The Humane Society says no one should offer pets for free on Kijiji and other online classifed sites. It says assigning a price helps ensure the new owner will value and properly care for the animal.
A year ago, the Calgary Humane Society and Kijiji Canada teamed up to help improve the safety of pet adoptions and sales online. However, that program has since been discontinued.
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