Officers seize 27 underweight, sickly goats from Goshen farm

| 13 Aug 2018 | 03:39

A veterinarian and assistants checked each animal. Each received an antibiotic shot. All had parasites, and many were anemic. All were underweight and had nowhere to rest or sleep but in a chicken coop on top of their own feces and chicken feces. They shared the coop at night with chickens. (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)

Twenty-six goats were held in half of the rescue truck, while one goat at a time was individually assessed. (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)

This is part of the a 25x12 chicken coop where the 27 goats spent each night. They were forced to sleep atop feces, with no food or water. (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)

This was the sole source of water for all the chickens and goats. (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)

Stanley Orgokowski drags a bag of feed from a nearby shed as Peter Yan watches. (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)

The is the rescue trailer that held the goats while they were assessed. Each was tagged, given an antibiotic shot and a number, and photographed. (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)

This young goat weighed 15 pounds but for his age should have weighed 60 pounds. The bones in his back and pelvic area are clearly visible. (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)

The hoof of one goat is bent. The vet’s assistants said that once the hooves were trimmed, rot from the hooves would probably become evident. (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)

Two dogs were used in the roundup effort. One, shown here, was an Australian shepherd, another a Hangtree sheep dog. One of the underweight goats who carried parasites is shown here with three assistants. (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)

BY Frances Ruth Harris
GOSHEN — 27 goats were seized in a raid by Gene Hecht,
chief of Hudson Valley SPCA Humane Law Enforcement and his officers
at 10 a.m. on Aug. 11, from a farm at 7 Orzeck Lane in Goshen, just off Maple Avenue.
Each of the 27 goats was examined individually, photographed and determined to be
suffering from infections. Each was given an antibiotic shot.
All were underweight. One animal The Chronicle saw weighed 15 pounds.
The vet and the vet's assistants on site said the animal should have weighed
60 pounds for its estimated age. Hair easily fell out in clumps from its malnourished body.
The owner of the Evergreen Naturally, LLC farm, Peter Yan, lives on Long
Island in Lynbrook. He said Stanley Orgokowski, who appeared to live
on the farm in a camper, was there to feed and water the animals. Orgokowski declined to comment.
Hecht said the chickens on the farm did not appear to be underweight
or underfed, so they were allowed to remain on the property. The chickens
and the goats shared the same 25' x 12' coop area.The goats slept in their
own feces and chicken feces.
The goats' drinking water container was filthy. The smell inside their 25' x
12' coop was putrid. One enforcement officer said the feces looked contaminated.
The only evidence of feed was what the Hudson Valley SPCA Humane Law Enforcement brought with them.
Later, Orgokowski showed The Chronicle two bags of feed in a building, but there was no evidence the goats received feed; the bags were not open.
On Aug.4, the SPCA handed an order to comply to Orgokowski in the trailer on the
property. He gave the order to Yan, who made no attempt to fix the situation, Hecht said.
The goats were rescued by Jessica Pykosz, Beaver Lake Farm, in Loch Sheldrake. They will be avalable for adoption when they
are healthy.
Yan said he bought the animals from three different postings on Craigslist
in three different physical locations. He said none came with papers. When
Yan said he might sell the goats, He said he did not intend to slaughter them. He said Orgokowski was feeding them, and he did not see any "illness problems."
Yan signed them over to the SPCA for placement with the understanding that
he would not be held responsible for their care, vet bills, etc. from this
point forward. He is scheduled to appear in Goshen town court before Judge Rory Brady
Sept. 26, 2018 at 9 a.m. The charges against Yan are "28 counts
of failing to provide food, water and sustenance."

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