The worst case of human cruelty to guinea pigs so far in my experience.
I have been many places where the animals have not received the care and provisions that are their right to have. But I got a phone call on Tuesday that made me shudder.
An elderly gentleman had stopped in a layby on a country road on Tuesday morning and heard scratching, he investigated, and found upturned in a hedge a cat carrier which had two guineas inside with no food, hay or water and looking very sorry for themselves.
He took them home popped some hay and food into the box and phoned me. Unfortunately I was unable to collect them that day, but kindly a wonderful fosterer who is a great friend said she could go and pick them up (or they would have had to wait until Wednesday to come here).
What she found was shocking and the stench is something she won't forget. It seems that on entering the carrier the guineas were fit and healthy or they would not have survived their ordeal, they were there for at least one night probably two or more given their condition when found. They went to the vets Wednesday morning and underneath all the mud the only problem found was a few lice on one guinea. Generally they were fit and healthy pigs, although very thin, that had been disguarded in a pet carrier that was intended to become their coffin.
The thing that disturbs me most is that often unwanted pets are re-homed, given into centres such as ourselves or left at pet shops or vets where they have a good chance of being cared for, but these boys were dumped in a remote country lane with little chance of discovery to die slowly of cold and starvation.
There was a rainbow on the drive home so these boys were called Zippy and George by their carer Sophie.
On arrival:
Wet underside and very thin
Bottom caked in mud and wet from sitting in the carrier as the opening to it was on the ground.
These poor boys were from the cleanliness of their faces and shoulders probably clean when they enetered the carrier but as it landed with the opening side with a grate onto the mud there was little escape from the damp and mess.
From the angle of mud in the cat carrier you can see it was positioned with the opening grate facing the floor and the boys had very little room to move around (hay and food was added by the kind gentleman who found them).
The little golden agouti boy has suffered from some hair loss probably due to his cage mate eating the hair as there was nothing else to eat but his hair loss will be monitored and treated as necessary.
Here they are after some good food, a nights rest and a bath.
I think this is worst case of a humans treatment of an animal seen to date as with out a thought they were left (and by the angle in the hedge may well have be thrown into it possibly from a car :( ) in such a deserted place it was by pure and a remote chance they were discovered they are very lucky guinea pigs. Also that they were left with nothing in the carrier it was bare when they were discovered so they were left to starve to death slowly and quietly on a country lane rather than the many other options that would have been available to someone finding they could no longer keep their guinea pigs.
Most guinea pigs I have seen in poor conditions have some food/water and the human caring for them is not knowingly condeming them to a slow painful death. It saddens me greatly and makes me want to put the human responsible through the same experience.
Even though they have been treated this way by humans they remain sweet natured creatures- the little white boy is especially glad of any bit of affection he receives and holds nothing against people for how his was treated by one callous individual. Animals are amazing we have so much to learn from them.
Added 19/5 Here they are fully recovered ...
