Iowa man arrested after 800 pigs die of neglect

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — A Cedar Falls, Iowa, man who was hired to raise baby pigs is now facing charges of neglecting the animals.

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Nolan Dewall, 38, was arrested after investigators say 800 of the 2,500 baby pigs he was hired to care for had died, and the animals did not have access to water or food, The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported.

The animals were delivered to Dewall in late December with 15 tons of feed, and by Dec. 30, a consultant found that 800 of the pigs had died, KGAN reported. Authorities removed the rest of the pigs from the farm to another facility, but the station reported that 51 pigs died during the move and another 60 died in the following days.

The consultant who found the dead pigs also told authorities that temperatures inside the barns were too cold at under 50 degrees, The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported.

Tissue samples from the dead animals were sent to the Iowa State University Veterinary Lab, where scientists found no sign of disease, but confirmed that the animals had suffered from malnutrition and dehydration, KGAN said.

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