Arizona cops urged to confiscate MJ’s giraffes after two died

Washington: The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has requested Arizona Police to confiscate Michael Jackson’s two giraffes after it was reported that two of the pop star’s four giraffes died of possible neglect.

“PETA recently learned that two of the giraffes have died and that the possible cause of death of at least one of the animals was improper feeding and/or exposure to cold temperatures,” Fox News quoted a PETA rep, as saying. The rep added: “If this is true, the Hancocks appear to be in violation of state cruelty-to-animals law, and the remaining two giraffes must be removed as soon as possible.” Tom and Freddie Hancock of the Voices of the Wild Foundation, Inc brought the giraffes from Neverland Estate to the city property in 2007. The animals have been kept at Banjoko Wildlife Preserve in Page, Arizona, which is managed by the Hancocks. But PETA wants the giraffes out of Banjoko. In a letter to Police Chief Charlie Dennis, PETA has called upon him to “thoroughly investigate this situation and if applicable, pursue charges against the Hancocks for the deaths of two giraffes and, most importantly, take immediate action to protect the remaining giraffes by confiscating the animals and relocating them to a facility that can provide them with appropriate care.” Although, Freddie Hancock accepted that two giraffes had died, she rubbished all allegations of the animals’ neglect. She said: “Those animals are well taken care of. They are not neglected. They are not abused. They are in appropriate facilities. The facilities have been inspected by USDA and the Health Department. There is absolutely no basis for any of these allegations. “The animals are in a safe environment. They have somebody with them 24/7. They are being taken care of properly. These animals were part of our family.” The cause of the two giraffes’ death is not known yet. Police Chief Charlie Dennis said: “We`re still investigating to see if there is a crime or that the giraffes are in danger. Right now we`re still working on getting in touch with the state vet of Arizona and discussing with them the situation.” “PETA was talking about some possible animal cruelty issues or poor living conditions and that`s what we`re looking at. We have been on the scene there during our initial investigation when we were notified that one of the giraffes had died. We`re gathering our evidence as of right now. There is no action that has been taken to remove the giraffes but we are looking and talking to the resources that we have to make sure we can make the right decision on that," he added. ANI