KVBC News reported that Richard Lee Carter was arrested June 5th in connection with the Kitten Entombment case which took place on June 1st. Police said that he was a maintenance worker at the local apartment complex.

He is alleged to have sealed the kittens into a block wall using urethane foam for reasons unknown at this point.

Five of the kittens are doing well and are in the tender loving care of Happy Home Animal Sanctuary volunteers, but one was so badly damaged that it had to be euthanized.

According to a report from KVBC news in a discussion with Clark County Animal Control agent Greg Wallen, animal cruelty cases are not that uncommon. In fact, they receive around 4,000 animal cruelty calls a year in Clark County and about 600, or 15%, result in a prosecution.

Though these crimes seem incredibly heinous and unbelievable, the punishment for them is nothing more than a misdemeanor… yes you read that right just a misdemeanor. According to Wallen, the penalty only carries a 6 month jail term and/or a $1,000 fine.

If a senseless, heartless, torturous crime like this was done to a human, the perpetrator would never see their freedom again. Yet our innocent and defenseless animals can be entombed in a block wall and left to suffer and die and the penalty is just a slap on the hand… really unbelievable.

In order to make a change to the severity of these crimes, your voice must be heard. Call your representative, let them know how you feel, and maybe we can collectively make a difference.

On June 1, 2008, volunteers of Happy Home Animal Sanctuary were notified of a serious situation at a Las Vegas apartment complex. When the volunteers arrived, what they found was horrifying. Six young kittens had been sealed into a block wall using urethane foam, a type of insulation that hardens around anything it touches.

The volunteers were able to rescue the kittens, but unfortunelately one was lost due to the damage from the foam insulation. They worked long through the night trying to clean up and stablize the remaining kittens and the work continues today.

The event was covered on Las Vegas channel 3 KVBC yesterday afternoon and their article can be found at http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=8419110.

Read the rest of this entry »