Hubbard's Hell for Animals: RSPCA Refuses to Act

 

After repeated calls for the RSPCA to act decisively against this appalling case of animal abuse and neglect, Nottingham Animal Rights, among others, is seeking to raise public awareness of the plight of Mr. Hubbard’s victims. Mr. Hubbard is a Guinea Pig and Rabbit Breeder based at The Willows, Doddington Lane, off Main Street, Dry Doddington, Newark, NG23 5HU. Reports and photographs provided by those who have visited the property (see: http://nottinghamshire.indymedia.org.uk/2010/04/448580.html for links) have stated that the animals are living in terrible conditions and are in very poor health.

 

 

Nottingham Animal Rights has released this press release to the local media, and will be holding an information stall on Saturday 10th July opposite St. Peter's Church in Nottingham, near the Broadmarsh Centre, from 13:00 onwards. An additional date in Newark is to be confirmed.

face with wounds

guinea pig area

guinea pig back with open wounds

guinea pig facial skin infection

guinea pig with mysterious (fatal) internal and external infection

diseased guinea pig left in enclosure

guinea pig with severe, deep, infected, smelly open wounds on back

post-pregnant guinea pig left bleeding for over 24 hours, eaten by something from the bottom. 4 weeks before she could stand

guinea pig with skin infections

hutches outside

rabbit with note marked ROVERS

rabbit with tick in eye in cage with yellow water

rabbit with tick in eye

location with hens

location

 

After repeated calls for the RSPCA to act decisively against this appalling case of animal abuse and neglect, Nottingham Animal Rights, among others, is seeking to raise public awareness of the plight of Mr. Hubbard’s victims. Mr. Hubbard is a Guinea Pig and Rabbit Breeder based at The Willows, Doddington Lane, off Main Street, Dry Doddington, Newark, NG23 5HU. Reports and photographs provided by those who have visited the property (see: http://nottinghamshire.indymedia.org.uk/2010/04/448580.html for links) have stated that the animals are living in terrible conditions and are in very poor health.

 

Mr. Hubbard buys and sells the animals at the Fur and Feather auction on a regular basis, appearing to use them as breeding machines for profit. It is here that the RSPCA was first alerted to Mr. Hubbard after 2 females (both pregnant) and one male guinea pigs were put forward for auction, but in too poor a state as one was visibly bleeding. Mr. Hubbard has also been known to sell animals from the premises, which is illegal as the Council have not granted him a Pet Shop License. Many animals sold have been seriously ill, and died within 5 weeks of purchasing.

 

Mr. Hubbard has been disposing of dead animals on-site on a bonfire, which has been witnessed, photographed and reported to DEFRA by visitors. This serious public health risk has been forbidden by DEFRA, and they have told him to seek out appropriate disposal sites (e.g. maggot farms), but this has not been followed up further and the practice continues.

The attached photographs will illustrate the state of the animals upon inspection: many animals appear pregnant, with fungal infections, scabs to their ears and noses, very thin, sore feet, broken nails, long nails, mites/parasites, dirty and were reported to be very smelly. You are free to use and distribute these photographs.

 

The property itself looks like a shed, it is not weatherproof and unsuitable even for the storage of garden tools. The guinea pigs are kept on the floor of the sheds, with a 1 foot high partition. Mr. Hubbard has joked that he calls all the males “Lucky” because they are kept together with 10 females, each. The babies are not removed, and so this has led to babies giving birth to malformed babies, and dying during pregnancy or childbirth. When asked by one visitor at what age breeding would be possible, he responded “three weeks”. The enclosures are cold in winter and over-hot in summer. The water bottles are green with sludge, and the water a strange yellow colour (see pictures). The rabbits are kept in tiny 1 foot high, 1 foot wide cages, with their faces pressed against the front, and backs against the back. These cages are rarely (if ever) cleaned, and contain 2-3 inches of waste. These animals receive no daylight and are unable to move around in their unstimulating, cramped environment – very different to what would be required for any rabbit kept in the home. Some local pet shops have stopped trading with Mr. Hubbard upon discovering the conditions the animals were kept in and poor health of the animals. Mr. Hubbard has also been known to make repeated undesired contact with a regional manager of a well known pet store chain. This regional manager has seen the animals at the site and has no intention of ever doing business with Mr. Hubbard.

 

The RSPCA has failed to act against the continued abuse of rabbits and guinea pigs at Mr. Hubbard’s premises. They have failed to ask to see any photographic evidence, or evidence produced by vets that have inspected sick animals after purchase from Mr. Hubbard. Instead, they have deemed the conditions that these animals are kept in “less than perfect”, and whilst accepting that improvements must be made, the RSPCA has done nothing to ensure this.

 

Nottingham Animal Rights will be holding an information stall opposite St. Peter’s Church, near the Broadmarsh Centre, Nottingham, on Saturday 10th July from 13:00 onwards, where further information, photographs and reports on this issue will be available. There will also be a petition to sign where concerned members of the public can state their strong objection to this level of unnecessary and cruel mistreatment of animals.

 

A supporting campaign page with links and additional photographs can be found under “Shut Down Hubbard’s Guinea Pig Hell” on Facebook.

 

(EDITED) Witness report (Shaz Kelly, April 2010):

Two male guinea pigs appear to have been attacked with something like a cheese grater, with huge hole-type open wounds in their backs. Their hole-type wounds had infection oozing out of them and most of the hair had gone from their backs. The animals showed obvious signs of serious distress and also had fungal infections on their faces.

 

One guinea pig had 6 dead babies Saturday morning and was still lying there with blood oozing on Sunday afternoon, unable to sit or stand. She had big bite wounds underneath and hair missing on her legs and belly.

 

Also another girl had her hair peeling off with a layer of skin under her belly, there were dead babies lying on the floor behind her.

 

Photographs were taken but the RSPCA has never even asked to see them.

 

There was a bonfire in the middle of the garden with burning bodies of guinea pigs, rabbits, baby guinea pigs and baby rabbits, as well as hens. The hens that were alive were dragging the bodies out from the fire and trying to eat them. In the rabbit shed, the rabbits were in appalling conditions, mice were crawling out of the cages and rats were running about on the rafters. There were dead baby rabbits still together with their mums.

 

Mr. Hubbard has stated that he does not believe in vets as they cost a fortune, so he knocks them on the head and throws them onto the bonfire. He is also killing and eating the male rabbits as he has not sold any since November, as he says it is not worth taking them to the auction and only getting £1 for them. Lately, many local pet shops are not buying from him.

 

The whole place is sludgy, the guinea pigs are kept on a shed floor on straw, fed rabbit food that was wet through, the water was in an old hen feeder and was thick and sludgy. Mr. Hubbard had babies in the sheds breeding with one another. There was also a 4 day old baby guinea pig running around alone, screaming for its mother. The rabbits are in small disgusting, old, tatty hutches and lying wet in their own faeces.

 

On another visit, there was a body of a dead guinea pig on the bonfire waiting to be burnt, he said she died the day before and the baby that was running around in the shed was hers. 

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FOR FURTHER INFO, SOURCES, or TO GET INVOLVED: please contact shutdownhubbards@gmail.com

Links:

(new) Facebook campaign group

New Facebook campaign group (easier to search for)

(old) Facebook campaign group

see here for back story and more pictures

Contact email: shutdownhubbards@gmail.com