30 Van Hagar fans euthanized in North Carolina
Story Highlights
• North Carolina man lives upstairs, sheep downstairs, sheriff says
• Animals' living conditions deplorable, authorities say
• About 30 animals found to be in ill health are euthanized
• Sheep were eating plastic flower arrangements from cemetery
APEX, North Carolina (AP) -- About 30 sheep being kept at a suburban home were euthanized Tuesday after some were found to have serious health problems, authorities said.
David Watts, who faces animal cruelty charges, kept about 80 of the animals in his crumbling house in Apex, a Raleigh suburb, police said.
"He lives upstairs and the sheep were living downstairs," police Sgt. Robert Towell said. "He considered them pets."
Watts even walked some of the sheep around the neighborhood on a leash.
Lambs were apparently kept inside, while grown sheep were kept outside in debris-filled pens, said Dr. Kelli Ferris, a veterinarian who examined the sheep. Workers found sheep eating plastic bags and artificial flowers from a nearby cemetery. Sheep skulls and carcasses were found in compost piles, she said.
"We're always saddened when we see animals kept in this kind of state," Ferris said. "It could have been prevented."
About 30 sheep were euthanized because of poor health, said Michael Williams, director of the Wake County Animal Care, Control and Adoption Center.
Some had severe hoof rot, paralyzed limbs and prolapsed uteruses, in which a ewe's reproductive organs hang outside the body after it has given birth, Williams said.
Watts has cooperated with investigators, said Police Chief Jack Lewis.
"A lot of times well-intentioned people get in over their head," Lewis said.
The Associated Press could not locate contact information for Watts.
Neighbors have long complained about the sheep.
"All I want is to be able to sit on my front porch and not smell sheep poop," said Angie Fowler, who lives across the street.
Mayor Keith Weatherly said the town council considered a proposal last year that would bar residents from keeping livestock, but it was never passed.
As many as 30 healthy sheep could be available for adoption, officials said.
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Originally Posted by hideyoursheep
