Talk about cat burglars.
Last week, the Humane Society of Park County's animal shelter outside of Cody was broken into and cash stolen. The Tribune was unsuccessful in talking with anyone from the shelter before press time on Monday, but on Tuesday I caught up with Leigh Dvarshkis, the president of the humane society's board.
Citing an ongoing investigation, the Cody Police Department has declined to release details about how much money was stolen. Dvarishkis said it was under $2,000, and that the shelter did have insurance to cover the bulk of the losses.
Some of the pilfered funds had been raised by Cody gradeschoolers.
“The biggest part of (the theft) is, it was very discouraging,” Dvarishkis said.
In the burglary, the thief, or thieves, ransacked the place, strewing the shelter's pet files all over the facility, and tossing the computers on the floor; the cats were loosed from their cages, and apparently doused with glitter.
However, Dvarishkis said the animals were apparently unharmed, and that there was minimal damage to the shelter's equipment. She classified the vandalism as “a lot of just frustrating stuff.”
“It was mostly just a big mess,” she said. (Some vacuuming de-glitzed the felines.)
“It was almost like a prank,” Dvarishkis said of the break in. “I don’t know what to make of it.”
She said the Humane Society's security “wasn’t where it should have been, but that goes back to being non-profit.” The group is currently looking for some volunteers handy with tools - like those with carpentry skills - to help make some security upgrades.
As always, the organization is also more than happy to take donations - in cash or in-kind gifts like pet food or cleaning supplies, Dvarishkis said.
Already, she said support from local residents has been a silver lining.
“The good news is that the community has been fantastic,” Dvarishkis said.
For more information, call the Humane Society of Park County at 587-5110, or visit their Web site at www.codyshelter.org.
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