Crown counsel has approved charges of animal cruelty against Powell River resident Bud Wilcocks following a BC SPCA investigation earlier this year. On Feb. 3, the SPCA seized six lame, lice-infested and emaciated goats and three neglected ponies from a farm on Westview Avenue. The property was also littered with animal carcasses and debris.

BC SPCA Const. Tina Heary said one of the goats was so weak she had to be carried onto a trailer. “She later collapsed exiting the trailer and needed to be lifted into a stall.”

Heary said all of the animals were in such poor shape that it would have been immediately evident to the average person that the animals needed either food, medical attention or both.