Sheriff investigates report of animal neglect at Heritage Ranch

Update 7:01 a.m., March 4, 2014: The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office received a report on Feb. 28 of possible animal neglect regarding a flock of sheep in the Heritage Ranch area. Deputies responded and began an investigation into the deaths of 25 sheep in the River View Estates area of Heritage Ranch.

During the course of the investigation, deputies spoke with the owner of the sheep, a 53-year veteran of raising sheep. He tends to a flock of 8,500 sheep. Of those, 700 sheep were grazing on about 3,000 acres of land in Heritage Ranch as part of a fire suppression program. Local residents identified the shepherd as JB Jaureguy.

The shepherd told deputies he always shears his sheep in February. Several days later, a major rainstorm hit the county, and as a result, several of the sheep became ill and 25 died. Hikers discovered the distressed sheep and contacted law enforcement.

The Sheriff’s Office and the owner recognize that any loss of an animal is a tragic one. The Sheriff’s Office is conducting a thorough investigation with the full cooperation of the owner. The findings of the investigation will be turned over to the District Attorney’s Office for consideration of any possible criminal neglect charges.

Robert Rutherford, a retired senior sheep specialist at Cal Poly, watched the video and and said the sheep appeared to be in poor condition. “Probably the combination of being too thin and then the storm that came through probably caused the stress that ended up putting the sheep down,” Rutherford told KSBY.

A caseworker with PETA’s cruelty investigations department, Stephanie Bell, said PETA will be pressing for criminal charges if the details remain the same as they are now, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports. “We certainly get a number of calls about animals in the cold or wet or without food, but typically, even on large farms, we are only dealing with a small number of animals,” she said. “To have this number of animals dying is very egregious,” she said.

Original story 7:39 a.m., March 3, 2014: A local woman posted 10 videos over the weekend of alleged cruelty to a flock of sheep at Heritage Ranch. She recorded dozens of animals in weak and emaciated condition, dead sheep loaded in a trailer and pick up truck, and others dead or dying in creek beds. Some of the videos are very graphic.

“So my husband found these sheep taking a hike with our dog and called me to come assist him,” wrote Jennifer Weissmuller. “He had only at that time found the ones in the creek. Little did he know that the entire hillside was covered with distressed, dead and dying animals. You could see every rib and the stomachs were concave and you could see the spine. There eyes were rolling in their heads, guts hanging out and several were foaming at the mouth. Our concern was to get help for the animals.

“The shepherd was in his camper and was not doing anything to help the distressed animals. In my opinion he was leaving them their to die,” she wrote. “I am ready to sell my house and leave Heritage Ranch this sickens me,” she wrote.

Sheep are traditionally brought in seasonally to clear grass to help prevent summer forest fires at the ranch. The shepherd’s vehicle and trailer could be seen Sunday near the River View section of Heritage Ranch, outside of Paso Robles. The region has suffered an historic drought leaving little food or water for animals.

Weissmuller said she has reported the alleged cruelty to the Heritage Ranch Homeowners Association, The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, State Fish and Game and PETA.

Local authorities could not be reached for comment Monday morning. Updates will be posted here as more information is available.

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