There's Got to be More to This Story

Man Punished for Abandoning Rats

WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) - A Providence man is in trouble after he abandoned nearly 300 rats on the side of the road.

The man, Toby Duffany, pleaded no contest to animal abandonment and was ordered to pay $1,000 restitution and perform 50 hours of community service.

Police say Duffany crammed 280 rats into aquariums and cages, and left them on the side of the road in Foster last month. The rats were discovered several days after they were abandoned. 72 rats had died and the rest had resorted to cannibalism.

What I want to know is were these rats pets, or were they merely fellow residents of his apartment dwelling? The story does not say.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals euthanized the living rats.

In court, Duffany said he got rid of the rats because they could not live in his apartment with his new baby.
The Rhode Island SPCA was disappointed with the punishment.

No doubt the SPCA was disappointed. I suppose the only humanitarian thing the man could have done was to try to co-exist in peace with his fellow mammals, never mind the baby. Can't we all just get along?