Carl Zupin of Blair Township has been charged with a four year felony; Abandonment and Cruelty of 10 or more animals.
Jamie Croel, Grand Traverse County Animal Control Supervisor, says back in October their office received a call to check on Zupin’s property.
“Unfortunately, we did find a deceased animal and that led us to open more of an investigation at which time we had the sheriff’s department assist us,” says Croel. “Conditions of the animals at the home and on the property were poor.”
Croel says thirty animals were seized that day – 25 sheep and 5 goats.
Its becoming more of a problem. There’s been half a dozen cases this year that Croel says Animal Control has either looked into or has had to monitor involving livestock. It involves chickens up to horses and cattle, with sheep and goats in the middle.
“Livestock feed has gone up, hay has gone up; hay crops and everything that are very weather dependent. So like this summer, Traverse City area didn’t get the greatest first cutting. Cutting hay is more expensive, so depending on what type of animal you’re trying to maintain will dictate what you need and how much you need of it.”
The animals seized were taken to Caskie Funny Farm in Green Lake Township.
“The Health Department, Animal Control gave me a call and asked if I was available to help them with the situation that they were in,” says Greg Caskie, Owner of Caskie Funny Farm. “I, with the extra properties I do have, the property I do have here, I was able to facilitate them.”
It’s more difficult to find homes in the area that will foster livestock. Animals are kept close to home, if possible, while investigating.
Caskie says he was appalled by the conditions the animals were found in.
They were fully impacted with manure, their coats,” says Greg Caskie, Owner of Caskie Funny Farm. “I mean, they had almost two to three years of wool on them when we got them.”
He says he feels responsible for helping these animals in order to give farmers, like himself, a better reputation.
“It’s what makes the rest of us that are trying to do the right thing look bad. That’s what I’m saying is we are vilified because of those incidents. So somebody that’s trying to do the right thing and trying to have healthy animals is vilified by somebody that’s not taking care of them,” he says.
He says Grand Traverse County has helped with getting the animals into shape.
Caskie has to buy the hay for the animals to ruminate – chew the cud. All the care and investment into the animals is to help them regain their strength and health.
“Somebody’s got to. If I don’t, I mean, these all theoretically probably could have been euthanized. They were at that point,” says Caskie. “They were very bad. So for us to be able to help them out and get them back to health and make them usable is is what I want to see happen.”
Carl Zupin has a preliminary examination scheduled for January 3, 2022.
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