What’s next for the 124 animals rescued from a Bucks County farm?

✅ The animals have all been examined and some already adopted

✅ It's not clear if the owner of Narrows Way Farm will return to the U.S.

✅ Charges are still being formulated by the BCSPCA and police

WRIGHTSTOWN — The Bucks County SPCA said they rescued 124 neglected animals from the Narrows Way Farm but still do not have all the answers as to how this happened or the charges faced by the owner.

The agency was notified Tuesday and began what they are calling "the largest case of farm animal cruelty and neglect in collective memory of the Bucks County SPCA." 58 goats, 49 chickens, 10 pigs, 5 sheep, and 2 steers were rescued. Two other animals died after being removed from the farm.

The owner of the farm, Abigail O’Keefe, began to cut corners and didn't invest back into the property, according to BCSPCA spokeswoman Cindy Kelly. There was a small staff and some volunteers that saw what was going on but didn't have the knowledge or empowerment to take action. Kelly said that the situation on the farm got worse gradually.

"When animals started getting really sick that's when concerns arose and we were notified and called in," Kelly said. "It's animals that are being fed a poor quality diet, they're living in a really poorly maintained environment. It takes a while until the sort of parasite load and whatever else begins to show the implications of being malnourished begins to show."

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What will farm owner be charged with?

Complicating the situation was O'Keefe leaving the country for a vacation in Belarus. It took several attempts to reach O'Keefe, according to Kelly. The BCSPCA negotiated with O'Keefe via text to get her to surrender the animals for care.

"She was refusing to take calls from our humane law enforcement officers which made it very difficult for us to put our finger on the situation. Are we dealing with someone who's going to come back and take care of these animals, or are we dealing with abandonment? There's different ways you would respond to that," Kelly said.

The charges faced by O'Keefe are still being formulated by the BCSPCA  along with Newtown Township police based on the condition of the animals which are still being assessed. The BCSPCA has the authority to enforce Pennsylvania's animal cruelty laws and can seize animals and file charges. Kelly says the the charges will be "substantial."

"All those charges will be filed together and she could be facing upwards of 300 charges of animal cruelty and neglect. You look at the number of animals involved, and then there could be multiple charges of neglect, cruelty, lack of veterinary care. Our priority right now is getting those animals medical attention, getting them healthy again."

It is not clear if O'Keefe will return to the United States.

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Staff steps up

Kelly said that a large influx of animals that are suffering takes a physical and emotional toll on the BCSPCA's staff and volunteers. It will be stressful for a while and extra help will be hired to help with their care.

"Our staff has always steps up and does whatever needs to be done. And so, preparing stalls, getting hay, getting supplies in order, calling in extra hands, working long hours to get all those animals transported and evaluated," Kelly said. "That work is just going to be ongoing, taking care of those animals."

Donations can be made to help with the care or to adopt the animals on the BCSPCA website.

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