CASPER - There are 42 guinea pigs munching on food and napping in comfy cages after being abandoned outside the Casper Humane Society on Friday.
Humane Society Manager Johnnie Ramirez said staff typically shows up around 7 a.m. or earlier to start the feeding and cleaning process for the critters in their care. On arrival Friday they found an “abundance of cages with a tarp” sitting outside their building.
Crammed inside were scores of guinea pigs, some in poor condition, that someone had dropped off overnight.
“The condition of the cages was very poor, they were very dirty, you could tell that they had been confined to those spaces for a long time,” she said.
“And then upon getting them out, the guinea pigs were observed to have physical wounds on their body. Some did have very acute respiratory (issues) just from being in their messes.”
The society had just finished participating in the annual WyoGives fundraiser and according to the WyoGives website, the organization received $25,688 from 132 donors.
Ramirez, with an already full shelter, said the funds came at the right time, and she was grateful for the support. The guinea pigs were the beneficiaries of some of it, she said.
Veterinarian Katie Huber arrived on Saturday to provide the small pets with a wellness check. Their nails were trimmed, antibiotics dosed to some, and ultrasounds were given to those suspected to be pregnant.
Ramirez said a baby pig born on Saturday died.
Guinea pigs share at cage at the Casper Humane Society on Tuesday. Staff had to scramble to find cages for the pets on Friday. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
Casper Humane Society Manager Johnnie Ramirez said the society’s goal is to ensure the guinea pigs are healthy and then find them good homes. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
The Casper Humane Society Friday found 42 guinea pigs outside its doors. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
A guinea pig naps inside a room for those in quarantine on Tuesday. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily)
Water Dishes ‘Covered In Filth
The guinea pigs had arrived in poor condition. Ramirez said the cages had “little chicken water dishes” that were empty and “covered in filth.” There was no food in the cages.
“We are not sure the last time they resources provided to them,” she said.
Huber returned on Tuesday to check on the pigs — all of them now separated into males and females and in different rooms. A few pigs requiring quarantine were also in a room with some female pigs.
Ramirez said the vet took some of the guinea pigs back to her clinic for care and they will return to the society “hopefully on the mend to be adopted.”
Humane society staff on Tuesday gave the public their first look at the guinea pigs, but Ramirez said they won’t be available for adoption until they all have clear bills of health.
Ramirez said the goal is to see then adopted and live “healthy lives with their families.”
Because the shelter was already packed, the society was thankful for a donation of cages to go with the ones they had as word got out about the incident.
“Our lobby where we usually house small critters is filled with cats, all of our dog departments are full,” she said. “Once they got here, all we could do is scramble around.”
People leaving animals at the humane society during off hours happens from time to time with cats left in carriers or “dogs thrown over the fence.” But not at the “velocity” the shelter experienced on Friday, Ramirez said.
She said the humane society did not file a complaint with law enforcement, but noted they are “extremely disappointed” with the actions the person who abandoned the pets.
She said her agency and other shelters who are at capacity need people willing to adopt and support the shelter by giving the animals a loving home.
“It’s important that people are educated about the pets they are getting and where they are coming from,” she said. “We are all doing the best that we can.”
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
