Checking on the animals at Stutzman's

This pretty kitty was obviously undernourished.

This long-haired cat had an ulcerated tail.

Animal rescuer Nick Ormes holds a sick cat
he will be taking to the vet.

Nick Ormes had a feeling he should drop by the Village Manager's office yesterday afternoon to check on the status of the 20 acres of land that was once Stutzman's Nursery. He had noticed that the nursery sign had been removed and a "No Trespassing" sign had been posted on the gate. Ormes, who used to care for the animals at Stutzman's, has been interested in leasing the property as a location for his animal rescue mission. However, although the village had evicted business owner Gary Stutzman, he had refused to leave the property where he had set up temporary lodgings, leaving the status of the property in a state of confusion.

As it turned out, the Village Manger's office, at the very moment Ormes came through the door, was in the act of trying to contact him. Now that Stutzman was fully evicted and not allowed on the property any more, they wanted Ormes to see if there were any animals left behind to be rescued. Ormes was happy to help out. He was instructed to call the YSPD dispatchers if he found Stutzman on the property.

Shortly after he arrived, he called me and asked me to come up with a camera to document the condition of the animals. When I got there, he was there with Jackie Smith, Vice President of Ormes' operation, The Ranch Menagerie Animal Sanctuary. They were in the process of rounding up several emaciated cats that were a part of the dozen-or-so roaming the lot. Some of them were in better condition than others; some were ill; and one of them had a visible ulcer. Ormes said he would be taking the worst-off of the cats for veterinary care the next day. He knows most of them by name. He is heartsick and spends the next 20 minutes looking for a cat named Callie that he had spotted briefly, before she went into hiding. She looked ill, he said.

The animals that looked the healthiest were the chickens. Free to roam, they could forage for food off the lot or in a variety of animal enclosures. With the arrival of spring, they probably had plenty of insects to eat. However, there is no way to account for how many might have been lost to predators, since they have not been locked in at night.

The two pigs that were there looked deceptively healthy. One was so fat, her belly was dragging on the ground. However, according to Smith, that is not a healthy condition and is probably the result of being fed an improper diet.

Of additional concern were the two iguanas that were still residing in one of the green houses. There being no electricity, they probably were not being kept warm enough. Happily, they seemed to be okay, although a bit green about the gills.

Not sure what he would find, Ormes had arrived on the scene with a variety of feed for the animals. He had fed the animals by the time I arrived.

"Fortunately, someone has been giving them water," he said. But he wasn't so sure about the food, especially given the condition of the cats.

Volunteers or those wishing to adopt can contact Nick Ormes at theranchmenagerie@yahoo.com. Tax deductible donations can be made to The Ranch Menagerie Animal Sanctuary Fund at the Greene County Community Foundation or to P.O. Box 123, Yellow Springs, OH 45387. For more information, visit http://www.theranchmenagerie.org/ on the Web.

Related post: Post Stutzman's, Nick Ormes is still caring for the animals

Click here to see more photos of the animals left on the former Stutzman's property.