Ontario man who left 1,500 pigs to die banned for life from owning, caring for animals

ATavistock, Ont., man has been banned for life from owning or caring for animals after pleading guilty in the deaths of more than 1,500 pigs.

The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says Ben Stein, 28, pleaded guilty on Jan. 18 to four counts of animal cruelty and was sentenced on Thursday inSimcoe, Ont., court.

OntarioSPCAofficers went to a pig farm inLangton, Ont., on Feb. 17, 2017, after receiving a concern about the welfare of pigs on the property.

The say the officers found dead and dying pigs, and moved the surviving animals to a dry, well-lit area of the barn where they could be triaged.

An estimated 1,265 pigs were dead when officers arrived and an additional 250 pigs had to be euthanized due to the severe condition in which they were found.

Stein pleaded guilty to permitting an animal to be in distress, failing to provide adequate and appropriate sanitary conditions, failing to provide adequate and appropriate ventilation and failing to provide adequate and appropriate medical attention.

"We are pleased that today's sentencing includes a lifetime prohibition on owning animals," Bonnie Bishop, an OntarioSPCAsenior inspector, said in a release.

"The level of neglect and suffering that these animals endured is horrible to imagine," Bishop said. "Abandoning an animal to starve to death, or failing to provide the basic care of an animal, will not be tolerated."