Minnesota

From crisis to care: How animal hoarding is straining Minnesota shelters and spotlighting mental health

Published

2 weeks ago

April 19, 2024

From crisis to care: How animal hoarding is straining Minnesota shelters and spotlighting mental health

Three cases of animal hoarding in Minnesota since late February are filling up shelters and drawing attention to the mental health struggles that often lead to the problem.

On Thursday, The Bond Between, an animal rescue service, took in about 50 rescue cats from a home in the Iron Range.

“With the help of our fosters and volunteers, we can offer them the chance they deserve for a better life,” Jennifer Schroeder, director of rescue operations, said in a statement.

Another case involves a Crystal woman with 124 cats in her home, who was charged with several counts of cruelty in Hennepin County Court on Monday. The Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley is caring for the surviving cats. The third case, in Crosby, involving more than 100 cats rescued by Minnesota Federated Humane Societies investigators and law enforcement. Most went to the Tri-County Humane Society in St. Cloud.

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Marit Ortega, executive director of Tri-County, said they received more cats than expected.

“Getting them in, that process took five hours with about a dozen staff, two of the Minnesota Federated Humane Society agents who were on the case all day, and they stayed with us until the end. And it was a lot of work,” Ortega told MPR News on Thursday morning.

Intake at Tri-County involved scanning cats for microchips, administering vaccines and an examination — during which staff found all the cats had fleas, and many had upper respiratory infections and parasites — before getting the animals settled in with food, water, and a litter box. Next, all the cats will be spayed or neutered, microchipped and undergo further health testing. It all adds up to about $200 per animal.

“It isn’t a large expense all at once,” Ortega said. “But when this is said and done, it is a little bit of a strain.” Tri-County is actively fundraising and has received a lot of support from the community, she added.

Cats rescued from recent hoarding situations in Minnesota

Hoarding happens when someone has so many animals that they can no longer provide basic care, including food and water, sanitation, socialization, shelter, and access to veterinary care, according to the Animal Humane Society. If the animals aren’t spayed or neutered, the situation can quickly worsen.

A spokesperson for the Minnesota Federated Humane Societies told MPR News on Tuesday that one of the main reasons people hoard animals is mental health struggles, and that “not every case should be charged.” Their main goal is “getting animals and people the care they need,” including more mental health resources. Concerned parties can contact the Minnesota Hoarding Task Force; the group works to educate and connect people affected by hoarding with resources.

At the same time, seeing cases of animal cruelty or neglect can be tough for shelter staff and volunteers.

“Working at an animal shelter on a good day can take its toll on those of us who choose this profession,” Ortega said. “I can tell you in our 50 years of existence at Tri-County Humane Society, we’ve never taken this many in at once… But I would say I am completely impressed by how well our staff and volunteers have just stepped up to the plate.”

The first cat, Kraemer, from the Crosby hoarding case found a new home Wednesday.

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Minnesota

Central Minnesota man, 21, dies in ATV crash

Published

2 hours ago

May 2, 2024

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Central Minnesota man, 21, dies in ATV crash

WCCO digital update: Afternoon of May 2, 2024

01:04

BELLEVUE TOWNSHIP, Minn. — A 21-year-old man died after losing control of his ATV in central Minnesota on Wednesday.

The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office says it received a report around 6:48 p.m. of an ATV accident on the Soo Line Trail, about a mile west of Highway 10 in Bellevue Township.

John Poppen, of Royalton, had been driving the ATV when he lost control, went off the trail and struck a tree, according to the sheriff’s office. He was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

Despite life-saving efforts, Poppen died at the scene.

The incident remains under investigation.

Riley Moser

Riley Moser is a digital line producer at wcco.com. At WCCO, she often covers breaking news and feature stories. In 2022, Riley received an honorable mention in sports writing from the Iowa College Media Association.

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Minnesota

University of Minnesota pro-Palestine encampment cleared, agreement reached

Published

9 hours ago

May 2, 2024

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University of Minnesota pro-Palestine encampment cleared, agreement reached

MINNEAPOLIS — Thursday, pro-Palestine supporters agreed to remove their four-day long encampment at the University of Minnesota following an agreement made with school leadership.

Encampments on college campuses across the country have popped up in response to the civilian death toll in Gaza in response to the Israel-Hamas War and students calling for universities to divest from Israel. The university joins a growing list of schools that have made deals with protestors, including Northwestern University and Brown University.

See our map: From Harvard to UT Austin to USC, college protests over Gaza are spreading.

One of the number of student groups involved in organizing the encampment posted on Instagram Thursday that Northrop Mall, where protestors occupied with dozens of tents, would be cleared by noon.

On Wednesday, organizers met with school officials to discuss their demands and interim University President Jeff Ettinger wrote in a letter to organizers they would agree to the following on the condition there are no more encampments.

Allow the organizing coalition to address the Board of Regents on May 10 concerning their demand for the university to divest from Israel

More: Pro-Palestinian protesters urge universities to divest from Israel. What does that mean?

Facilitate conversations with the career services department in response to the coalition’s demand to ban companies that do business with Israel from attending campus events and partaking in job fairs
Provide additional details on university disclosures during an upcoming meeting between leadership and the coalition
Recommend the University of Minnesota Police Department not arrest or press charges against anyone on a criminal offense as a result of the demonstrations of the last few days if the encampment is removed without issues

Ettinger said in a letter addressed to the university community that “while there is more work to do, and conversations are still planned with other student groups affected by the painful situation in Palestine, I am heartened by today’s progress.”

“It grew out of a desire among those involved to reach shared understanding. While we do not condone tactics that are outside of our policies, we appreciate student leaders’ willingness to engage in dialogue,” Ettinger said in the letter.

Nine were arrested last week for trespassing after setting up tents on campus grounds without permission, but since have seen a minimal police presence despite several dispersal orders, according to protestors.

More: Police sweep onto UCLA campus, remove pro-Palestinian encampment: Live updates

What’s happening on other campuses?

Columbia University has been the heart of the protests as violence has erupted across the country. Since Tuesday, over 300 arrests have been made at the university and City College.

Encampments and protests at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles have also turned violent and been met with police force, counter-protestors and dispersal orders. On Wednesday, over 132 arrests were made at UCLA.

More: President Biden breaks silence on college protests: ‘Violence is not protected’

Demonstrators at the University of Wisconsin Madison were confronted by police and 34 people were arrested on Wednesday as well. The encampment remained Thursday.

All buildings previously closed due to the encampment will reopen on Thursday at noon, according to a statement from the university. The university had their last day of classes on Monday, with final exams to start Thursday.

— Sam Woodward is the Minnesota elections reporting fellow for USA Today. You can reach her at swoodward@gannett.com.

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Minnesota

Minnesota State Patrol investigating deadly Houston County crash

Published

16 hours ago

May 2, 2024

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Minnesota State Patrol investigating deadly Houston County crash

NEAR BROWNSVILLE, Minn. (KTTC) – First responders were on the scene of a fatal crash involving a motorcycle near Brownsville in Houston County.

It happened around 8:35 p.m. Wednesday on Highway 26.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a Ducati Motorcycle driven by a 23-year-old La Crosse, Wisconsin man was going north on Highway 26 and a Ford Fusion driven by a 45-year-old Waukon, Iowa woman was going south when they collided.

More details are expected to be released on this crash later this morning.

This is a developing story. Stay with KTTC for the latest.

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