Hundreds of animals rescued from ‘appalling’ conditions at California sanctuary

Authorities in California have rescued more than 400 animals, including horses, cats, dogs and goats, from a now shuttered sanctuary in San Diego county. The San Diego Humane Society conducted the massive operation last week at Villa Chardonnay, a sprawling facility in Julian that had operated since 2003. “This is one of the largest and most complex rescues our organization has ever undertaken,” Jace Huggins, the humane society’s vice-president and chief of humane law enforcement, said in a statement. “We are currently managing a 40-acre property to stabilize and rescue hundreds of animals who have suffered from significant deficiencies in care and welfare.” The sanctuary said on its website that it cared for more than 600 animals and was “dedicated to providing a forever home to animals who have been abandoned, neglected, or abused”. Last year, Villa Chardonnay filed for bankruptcy. Conditions at the facility have long raised concern, according to the San Diego Humane Society, and animal welfare groups had repeatedly tried to investigate the property. The San Diego Humane Society worked with those groups to visit the sanctuary and see the conditions, according to a statement. There was “veterinary evidence of severe neglect – including emaciation, untreated injuries and a lack of basic care”, and the humane society executed a search warrant on the property. …