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MSPCA-Angell Seeks Adopters After 163 Rats Surrendered From Essex County Home

The shelter reports resource strain after an unusually large intake.

Overview

  • MSPCA-Angell says it is caring for more than 70 rats following the surrender, far above its typical small-animal load.
  • The organization retained 53 rats for adoption and worked with partner shelters across Massachusetts and New Hampshire to place the rest.
  • Rats from the case have been distributed to MSPCA-Angell centers in Boston, Methuen, Salem, and Centerville to maximize adoption chances.
  • Leaders describe the intake as the largest surrender of its kind in at least five years and note the animals were overcrowded but generally well fed.
  • MSPCA-Angell is urging adoptions and highlighting that domesticated rats are intelligent, clean, and social companions, even as the influx taxes staff and space.