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January 26, 2005

Majority Of Cats Found In Back Of Truck Destroyed

The Associated Press
   ROSWELL  —   Most of the sick cats found in the back of a moving van last week have been destroyed, officials said.
    Forty-four of the 61 cats found in the truck driven by Mary Jane Lyle, 71, of Minden, Mich., have been euthanized.
    A Roswell police officer pulled over the van Jan. 19 because a taillight was out. While the officer was talking to Lyle, he heard noises that appeared to be an injured cat.
    Lyle told him she had a cat. But when the officer opened the back of the truck, he discovered 63   —   two of them dead.
    Lyle has pleaded not guilty to 61 counts of animal cruelty. No trial date has been set.
    Roswell animal control supervisor Joseph Pacheco said this week the cats that were destroyed had been examined by a veterinarian. The 44 cats were suffering from ailments ranging from skin parasites to respiratory problems, Pacheco said.
    People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a national animal protection group, sent a letter Monday to Roswell's city attorney suggesting Lyle might be an "animal hoarder."
    PETA recommended she be banned for life from contact with animals, that any animals in her custody be taken away and that authorities in Minden and Tucson, Ariz., where she was heading, be notified of the case.
    PETA also asked that Lyle receive a psychological evaluation, followed by mandatory counseling at her expense.
    Psychological treatment may be more important than jail time, said Daniel Paden, a caseworker at PETA headquarters in Norfolk, Va.
    "Incarceration is by no means our priority," he said. "Putting a 71-year-old woman in jail isn't going to answer any problem."