- Video shows the empty cages and tanks that now make up Imagine Planet.
- Jackson County Animal Control came to Imagine Planet on Thursday to confiscate over 100 animals.
- Lydia Sattler, Shelter Director, says there have been multiple complaints about conditions for the animals and the overall public health risk, at Imagine Planet, since December of last year.
Empty cages, tanks, and terrariums are all that's left at Imagine Planet. "If I didn't think we were the best place for these animals, I wouldn't have them," says Executive Director, Jean McKim. Imagine Planet is a Jackson nonprofit that housed about 100 animals, until Thursday.
According to McKim, Jackson County Animal Shelter Director, Lydia Sattler visited earlier in the week and advised that McKim make changes. Thursday, animal control arrived to confiscate almost every animal in Imagine Planet. "This is devastating," says McKim. "We were not give enough time to get more volunteers. We've been working so hard. It's mostly my family."
According to Sattler, since December of last year, there have been multiple complains about the conditions for the animals and overall public health risk. She said animal control has been to Imagine Planet multiple times to explain what improvements needed to be made.
"We've been asking for help, but instead, they took exotic animals. These are not dogs and cats," says McKim. Her next concern is that she believes animal control didn't handle the animals properly, leaving behind necessary supplies, like food and heat lamps. For example, McKim says a macaw, Roxy, was carried out in a dog carrier, with no blanket, into a van with no heat. "This doesn't give us a lot of confidence in how these animals are going to be taken care of," McKim shares.
McKim admits that Imagine Planet is messy and said there are a lack of volunteers to help. Right now, she's doing everything she can to get the animals back in her care. She says, "We will clean everything. Scrub it to death. Clean everything up and hopefully get these animals back."
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