150 animals seized by animal control in apparent neglect case, Anchorage shelter now full
Seizure includes more than 100 rabbits at Anchorage address
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - At least 150 small animals were seized on Thursday, forcing the Anchorage Animal Shelter to stop accepting some new animals as they search for more space.
“Just by the sheer volume of the intake, we’ve kind of had to get creative, so we do have chickens and roosters in dog runs, which is a new experience for us,” said Joel Jorgensen, a spokesperson for the shelter.
Anchorage Animal Care & Control posted on social media about an ongoing neglect case. Jorgensen said Anchorage Police and Animal Control officers seized 22 roosters, 103 bunnies, two cats and seven fish, in addition to an inexact number of chickens.
It’s the most animals Jorgensen said he has personally seen in that building.
Most of the animals were in good shape, Jorgensen said; the concern was for their living situation.
“Some of the bunnies look like they have kind of tussled with one another, same with some of the chickens and roosters,” Jorgensen said. " I know the biggest thing is more of the environment they were living in which caused the neglect case to start.
“Just not the best living conditions which means that they had to get out of there as quickly as possible.”
AACC did not specify the address where the animals were found, only that it was in Anchorage.
Due to the case, AACC stated that they cannot take in any more small animals. They are asking the general public to close small animal traps and to leave strays where they are for now. They instead ask people to take strays to see if they can be scanned for a microchip and try to locate the owner.
“We are still accepting stray cats and dogs, but this event has impacted all available kennel space,” the AACC stated.
“The best way for our community to help in this situation is by simply opening up your home and adopting the animals we currently have available. Every dog or cat that finds a forever home helps free up space in the shelter and provides our staff with the needed time to provide exceptional care to all the animals in our custody.”
See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com
Copyright 2026 KTUU. All rights reserved.
