Here is the letter I have sent to Preloved in regard to the woman who was looking to rehome her rescue suggies. If anyone has any problems with poorly treated animals on Gumtree/Preloved and similar websites, hopefully this can act as a template for getting it sorted (useful legal stuff is at the end):
Dear Preloved,
I'm contacting you in regard to concerns about animal cruelty.
On Tuesday I went to Hatfield train station to pick up two sugar gliders (an exotic pet -they are small marsupials) from a woman named Vikki. I took them back with me trying not to disturb them as they were clearly distressed. It was clear to begin with that the nest box which they were in was very dirty -it had a distinct smell and was black with excrement, which is very unusual for these animals as they tend to urinate and defecate outside of their home (this was the nest box that she had in their cage).
When I got home and took them out I was completely shocked. Having kept gliders for a while I was not prepared for the state of the poor creatures I received.
Their fur had turned from grey to brown and was very matted, they were covered in urine and painfully thin. I have weighed them and they are both half the weight that an adult glider should be -and had in fact tried to eat the ply wood from which their nest box was made, gliders are not a rodent, and chewing is not their normal behaviour unless they are in search of food.
They were also clearly malnourished as their fur has been coming out in clumps, and one of them shows early signs of a very serious disease known as hind leg paralysis which can lead to death unless treated. They were understandably very distressed, however I have cleaned them up and am nurturing them back to strength with a good diet.
I am very concerned by the state of these two, and as Vikki has mentioned in phone calls that she keeps other animals I am extremely worried about their welfare. Vikki had told me previously that a joey that the two gliders had given birth to had died in her care after 7 months- she had noticed signs of distress in it however she had not taken it to the vet.
I have contacted the RSPCA in regard to this matter, however as I do not have her address they cannot send an officer around to inspect her premises. Having studied data protection Law at university it is clear that the activities she has undertaken are in breach of the Animal Welfare Act (2006) as she has failed to fulfil the 5 welfare needs required by law in the care of her pet. Therefore her data may be disclosed under s. 29 of the Data Protection Act.
As you require an address to register with preloved I would ask that you contact the RSPCA with her details as a matter of urgency, as the gliders I picked up were near death when they came to me.
I look forward to your prompt response to my concerns.
Kind Regards
Elinor
Hopefully that neglectful B**** will get her comeupance. I really hope this is successful as am V V worried about her other pets.
