Waltham animal control officers recover ‘pile ’o pigs’ dumped in woods, cemetery

Someone dumped 19 guinea pigs around Waltham, and city animal control officers say that’s an indicator of a larger problem.

Waltham Animal Control said Wednesday that the guinea pigs were recovered within the past two weeks On Facebook. Ten of them were found in the city cemetery, and the other nine were found in the woods behind 1601 Trapelo Road, a large office building, local officials said.

Animal control officials said this is a frequent occurrence throughout Massachusetts due to new, stricter regulations. Local pet stores are no longer buying as many guinea pigs as they used to, according to Waltham Animal Control.

“As a result, rather than contacting rescues or rehoming them, ranchers are dumping their livestock in large numbers into the woods to fend for themselves,” Waltham Animal Control said. “The lucky ones are found. The rest usually end up prey.”

The officers stressed that well-bred guinea pigs cannot survive on their own if they are thrown into the wild. However, they said that community resources, e.g Guinea pig sanctuary In Salisbury, they were instrumental in helping them find homes for the guinea pigs.

“Our last group of 9 brought in over 260 guinea pigs!!” Waltham Animal Control said. “Having been there myself to drop off our pile of piglets, I am amazed at the work they do and the number of pigs they save.”

Anyone with information about guinea pig breeders in the area who may be disposing of the animals is asked to contact Waltham Animal Control at 781-314-3596.