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Ladysmith man pleads guilty to animal cruelty charges

Sep 28, 2018 | 6:18 PM

NANAIMO — The sheer number of animals found in horrific conditions makes the recent guilty plea of a Ladysmith man on animal cruelty charges a case SPCA workers won’t soon forget.

Kramer Lowe pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty on Sept. 25 after 34 animals, including a prohibited reticulated python, were found in his home in January, 2018.

BC SPCA special Cst. Tina Heary said all the animals were kept in extremely unsanitary conditions.

“There were some animals caked in excrement. There was a lack of water for many of the animals and unfortunately (some) were actually dying from dehydration. There was a lot of severe and untreated diseases. Conditions were terrible.”

The BC SPCA was first called after a complaint about the large number of animals living in filthy conditions on Lowe’s property.

“Just having such a variety of animals in one place is what made this unique,” Heary said. “In addition to the horrific condition.”

Lowe faces a fine of up to $75,000, up to two years in jail and a possible ban on owning animals for life when he is sentenced on Nov. 2.

Heary said she hopes the upcoming sentence and publicity about the case sends a strong message to owners about how animal cruelty won’t be tolerated.

— with files from Dom Abassi

 

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