Over 180 animals abandoned in one go at Zwolle animal shelter without warning

An animal rescue shelter in Zwolle was left in a difficult situation when a total of 184 animals were dumped at the facility all at once, and without warning. The Flappus shelter is a nonprofit organization run from a countryside residence on Nieuwleusenerdijk. The animals, many of which are pregnant, were discovered when the founder and his partner returned home on Sunday afternoon. The strained organization is appealing to the public for food and money to help care for the animals.

"We are speechless," the organization said the following day in reference to the "heartbreaking discovery." In total, someone abandoned 96 guinea pigs, 55 rabbits, 21 chickens and 12 roosters. "They include mothers with babies, unneutered males and females, and countless pregnant animals." When those animals give birth, there will be well over 400 animals left in the hands of the Flappus team, comprised mainly of volunteers from Zwolle and the area around the Overijssel capital

On top of that, many of the animals were in a poor state, some with fungal infections, others with bite wounds or other injuries. "The yard and adjacent pasture were overrun with dumped animals and there were several open boxes," the organization said. The team of volunteers responded quickly, and spent hours capturing escaped animals, and beginning to treat the ones with injuries. "How on Earth can people do this?! We too cannot and will never get used to this animal suffering."

For now, the animals are being kept in quarantine, and Flappus does not need foster families to assist them. The animals will be listed on the organization's website when they are ready to be adopted.

The rescue center said it was in desperate need of cash donations, and created a Rabobank payment request which people can use to transfer money directly to the organization. The facility is also looking for dry herbs, which can be used to feed guinea pigs and rabbits, but also "vegetables, lots of vegetables."

They specifically mention bell peppers and other sweet peppers, as well as apples, carrots, chicory, endive, kale and lettuce. They also hoped to get fresh herbs, like basil, mint and parsley. The shelter said it was unable to collect items as they have their hands full with the animals.

"We desperately need your support to help these defenseless animals. Every donation, no matter how small, can make a world of difference."