'We have been let down': 2 kittens allegedly stolen from pumpkin patch in Langley
The owners of a pumpkin patch in Langley are disappointed after a pair of seven-week-old kittens were reportedly stolen from their property.
Katie Brownlee, the operations manager at Aldor Acres Family Farm says one of the kittens was taken on Tuesday and the other one vanished last week.
“We have been let down. We feel disappointed, disrespected and hurt,” Brownlee told CTV News Vancouver in a phone interview.
Brownlee says her grandparents Albert and Dorothy, who have been running the farm for 33 years have built their business on “trust and respect.”
“It very much infuriated them,” says Brownlee. “To have someone come into our home and take a family member, they are our pets. They are our family.”
Browlee says the kittens were in secure enclosures and they were taken in the middle of the day.
“It happened during the day when there was lots of people around, so it’s not like a coyote could have gotten to them," she says.
She says Aldor Acres Family Farm prides itself on allowing visitors to interact with the animals, by getting to pet them and hold them. It’s something they now believe needs to be changed.
“There’s so much learning opportunity in having hands-on experience with animals,” Brownlee added. “People now won’t be able to freely hold our kittens, puppies or bunnies without a staff member present and we don’t have enough staff to stand at every pen, so parents won’t be able to have that same experience with their kids anymore.”
The kittens, which were from two different litters, also had their forever homes lined up.
“They were adopted out and were supposed to go to their homes this weekend,” Brownlee says.
Brownlee adds that while she hasn’t yet reported the incidents to BC SPCA or police, she hopes whoever took the kittens will be held accountable “in their own way.”
“I hope they know what they did wasn’t right,” she says. “It’s a disappointment not only for us but everyone else that comes here for that hands-on experience with animals.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
LIVE @ 1:15 PT B.C. premier to give announcement related to public drug use
B.C.'s premier is scheduled to give an update Friday about public drug use in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.