Neglected Sheep Recovering; Accused Goes to Trial

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Story Published: Apr 26, 2007 at 5:43 PM PST

By Sara Desautel

HERMISTON--Umatilla County workers say no one was looking after 238 sheep.

So the sheep were taken away.

"The bottom line is animals, just the same as us and youngsters, require the same basic things. They require water, they require feeding, and they require somebody to look after them," says Bob Wolfe, the current caretaker.

Sheep-keeper William Rill claimed his method of grazing and raising sheep was safe and the county acted too quickly.

Wolfe explains it as, "one that happens to be very low cost, very low maintenance and therefore low care, low survival rate and low lambing rate."

The Wolfe family doesn't believe in that method.

They say, "We know several lamb producers and we know nobody that raises their sheep that way, "and neither did the veterinarians, sheriff's officers and local farmers who testified the sheep were neglected.

Bob says him and his wife, "each know several lamb producers and we know no body that raises their sheep like this."

They all agreed the animals needed help.

Rill claimed he had left town and was sidelined by nasty weather but that he never intended to neglect his sheep.

Wolfe says that shouldn't be an excuse. "We were above freezing during the daytime, a little bit of frost at night, and all the more reason somebody needed to be there to care for them."

It took nearly nine hours for the county to convince the judge to continue Rill's trial, more than a dozen people testified.

Rill says he never meant any harm but try explaining that to the animals.

Wolfe says, "He does have knowledge about how to take care of sheep. Somewhere along the line, it just didn't get done."

Rill's attorney argues it might look like neglect but with two-hundred sheep, it's hard to keep tabs on every one of them.

He basically says, you can't save them all.

Rill goes back to court on 238 animal neglect charges later next month.

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