Helmetta shelter placed under quarantine

by ADAM UZIALKO Staff Writer

The Helmetta Regional Animal Shelter was placed under quarantine Nov. 13 after a joint inspection by the NJSPCA and the Middlesex County Health Department.

The quarantine means no animal can be accepted into, or adopted from, the shelter until a veterinarian can certify that the  animals housed there are disease-free, according NJSPCA and county officials.

Col. Frank Rizzo and Capt. Rick Yocum, of the NJSPCA and Lester Jones, director of the county health department, held a press conference following the inspection.

“We came here today to the Helmetta Regional Animal Shelter as a follow-up to a lengthy investigation,” said Rizzo. “We issued six areas of concern or warnings [in September], which we were hopeful would be corrected. Unfortunately those were not corrected. 

“We have some numbers: 170 cats total, 129 general population, 41 are in isolation. An additional 30 are in another isolation room. We have about 30 dogs, four of whom are in isolation.”

Rizzo did not give a reason for isolating the animals.

 “This facility has been quarantined by the Middlesex County Department of Health. There will be no intake of any animals here. There will be no outgoing animals here until this facility is certified by a veterinarian that it is disease free and that there are going to be disease protocols put in place.”

Jones said there had been several inspections subsequent to one in late September.

“Sometimes things would get better, sometimes worse,” he said.

Four animals – three cats and one dog – were removed from the shelter on Thursday by the NJSPCA after it was determined that they required immediate veterinary care.

One cat died during transport to a veterinary facility and the other was euthanized due to the severity of its condition, according to Yocum.

“Some of the animals were very sick and near death,” Yocum said.