Lockport, N.Y. (WBEN) The Niagara County Sheriff's Office is alerting farmers about animal activists who may be up to no good.
"My warning to farmers is to be observant for people coming onto your land, and to the public to be observant if there is any suspicious activity in and around farms," said Sheriff Michael Filicetti on WBEN Wednesday.
He said apparent animal activists are creating problems.
"On Sunday, there were incidents at two different farms in the Town of Newfane. One farmer caught people in his barn taking video and photos of his livestock and then they fled the scene."
Filicetti said he was made aware of a forum last Saturday by animal activists. They were recruiting and instructing people on how to do surveillance on a farm, how to rescue animals, and how to win at trial.
"It's not legal to go onto people's property to do an assessment of livestock, and then "rescue" the livestock (releasing them). If you suspect animal abuse, there are methods for that. Call us, or the SPCA. We'll look into it," he said.
The Sheriff emphasized he's trying to avoid some type of confrontation. He wants to send a loud and clear message that he's not going to tolerate it.
"They're putting people on edge. I spoke to one farmer in Newfane who is very upset and nervous about what could potentially happen next. We can't condone people doing research or surveillance in an attempt to take livestock." He added, "It's not going to go well for anybody."
Filicetti assumes that this "rescue" movement is happening across the country. He thinks there are both local people and outsiders involved.
"To me it really speaks to their intention," he said. "They don't want to see cows go to the slaughterhouse. Everyone has their own ideology. whether
you're vegan or if you eat meat. But when you go onto someone's property to push your cause forward, that's when you have crossed a line and it's illegal.
He reminds farmers to be more vigilant. Take pictures, get license plate numbers when possible. He warns activists that they will be charged with a crime, if a crime is committed such as trespassing, burglary or grand larceny.
If you see suspicious activity around local farms, you can call the Niagara County Sheriff's office at 716-438-3393 or call 911.