Marmora, Ont., man found guilty of cruelty to a squirrel, fined $1,000

MARMORA, Ont. — A 34-year-old Marmora, Ont., man has been found guilty of animal cruelty after leaving a squirrel in a cage under the hot sun this past summer.

The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says Stanley Geertsma was found guilty in a Belleville court on Dec. 19 of permitting distress to an animal and was fined $1,000.

They say they received a report about a squirrel in distress on Aug. 24 and an OSPCA officer found the rodent in the cage on a day where temperatures reached 29 C.

The OSPCA says the squirrel was taken out of the cage and appeared to be unconscious and gasping for air.