Attorney: MSPCA seizure of animals at Hadley sanctuary ‘excessive and unjust’

HADLEY — Last week’s removal of 315 animals from a Hadley sanctuary by the law enforcement arm of the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has taken an emotional and physical toll on the owner of Cloa’s Ark, according to a Northampton attorney.

In a phone interview Tuesday, attorney David Mintz said not only has Patrick Veistroffer shed 10 pounds after seeing the last 20 years of work compromised, but two of the animals taken, a small sheep and an aging cockatiel, are important pets and companions for his family.

“Their decision to swoop in and to take all of the animals was excessive and unjust,” Mintz said.

Veistroffer has run Cloa’s Ark sanctuary with wife Claudine, most recently at a 5-acre site on Lawrence Plain Road.

“I want to assure the community this sanctuary, operated with the help of volunteers, was an important part of the community, and operated with utmost devotion and effort,” Mintz said.

Because Mintz hasn’t seen the affidavit filed by law enforcement officials, which would spell out the reasons a clerk magistrate could justify the actions, Mintz said he is somewhat in the dark. He speculates that MSPCA likely alleged some form of mistreatment of the animals, the majority of which are farm birds such as chickens and geese. But Mintz doesn’t believe that evidence for harming the animals exists.

“Our position is that’s not the case, our position is for 20 years he’s done his very best,” Mintz said. “It’s been his life’s work for the past 20 years.”

MSPCA-Angell Law Enforcement Director Chris Schindler said in a statement that the animals were brought to MSPCA-Angell facilities across the state to undergo examinations to determine their medical and nutritional needs.

“We know that a lot of the animals are very underweight and displaying signs consistent with being housed outdoors in cold weather without adequate access to food, water and shelter,” Schindler said.

Sara-Rose Brenner, associate director of public relations for MSPCA-Angell, wrote in an email that the investigation is still ongoing, so there is no update on any potential charges.

Mintz said the action began on Dec. 31 with a conversation between Veistroffer and Schindler, and by Jan. 5 inspections were being done on the property, when five animals were surrendered voluntarily.

Two days later, though, the more drastic step occurred.

“On Jan. 7 they saw fit to go to court, conducted a raid, and seized every animal,” Mintz said.

Most troubling is the removal of two animals that have provided emotional support to the Veistroffers, including a companion that predates Cloa’s Ark. One of these is Mini, a Jacob sheep, who has often accompanied Veistroffer as a passenger inside his vehicle, and Choquette, a cockatiel who is now 23 years old.

Both of these animals show how they are treated like family, argues Mintz, adding that he’s also concerned that there has been no discussion or delineation of which animals might actually be in distress.

“One of our immediate goals is to level the playing field and to see if we can get some of the animals returned without having to file a lawsuit in Superior Court,” Mintz said.

Brenner said this won’t be possible. “All the animals involved will be held pending the outcome of any court proceedings,” Brenner said.

He asks people in the area to understand what his client is going through.

“The public needs to be open-hearted and open-minded as the facts come in,” Mintz said.

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