Shortly after leaving the Rescue Rally Awards presentation on Friday, February 20, Kelly Thomas of A Critter’s Chance received word that a truck carrying 200 small mammals and birds had overturned on a Michigan highway. The animals were en route from Rainbow World Exotics, apparently for sale to pet stores.
Only 50 of the 200 animals survived. Amanda Nosie and Thomas Moore of A Critter’s Chance drove to Michigan to pick up 39 hamsters, gerbils and mice, and found conditions inside the truck deplorable.
There appeared to be no heat. The truck carried food and a water system, but no food or water was available to the animals in their cages. Many had obviously been dead before the truck overturned; some had been partially eaten by the starving survivors.
Volunteers with A Critter’s Chance collected the tiny animals and brought them back to Indianapolis, where they are now safe and warm with plenty of food, water and appropriate habitat. A Critter’s Chance is seeking additional foster homes for them until they all can be adopted.
Like all the small, all-volunteer rescues, A Critter’s Chance operates on a shoestring and the generosity and love of its volunteers. In addition to exotic animal rescue, they are also active in wildlife rehabilitation. While many of the animals they help will fit in your pocket, they’ve also rescued horses, potbellied pigs, all types of birds, goats, and snakes of every size. The group is extremely grateful for your donations, which go directly to care for the animals. To donate, adopt, or learn more about A Critter’s Chance, please visit their website.
Rainbow World Exotics has been cited repeatedly by animal welfare activists for cruel and careless treatment of the animals it sells. Conditions there have been compared to those of puppy mills. But the only way to stop the cruelty is to stop the demand.
These small animals are often impulse purchases — trendy pets or chosen for children by parents who think they will be easy to care for. When the novelty wears off or the cost of care is greater than expected, these little creatures are too often considered disposable. The lucky ones wind up with A Critter’s Chance.
When shopping for a small animal, bird or snake, keep in mind that virtually all of these animals sold in pet stores come from horrid conditions not unlike puppy mills. Buying an exotic animal from a pet store perpetuates the unseen suffering. Encourage anyone you know who is interested in one of these creatures to adopt from a rescue organization like A Critter’s Chance and save a life.