Man jailed after leaving his pet ferret to roast to death in his car

A man has been jailed after he left his pet ferret in his car with no food or water on the hottest day of the year.

Dean Rigley, 32, left the poor animal in a metal cage inside his Ford Fiesta overnight while he visited his friend’s house.

Temperatures reached 40 degrees centigrade inside the vehicle and the pet was found dead inside the cage the next morning.

A passerby called the RSPCA when he spotted the ferret inside the car at an anglers’ car park in Clifton, Nottingham, in July last year.

A vet later concluded that it was “clear that death was caused by being left in the heat of the car and that it would have suffered for some hours before its death”.

Nottingham Magistrates’ Court heard how the animal had dried blood around its mouth and nose – a symptom of “hyperthermia due to overheating”.

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Presiding magistrate Marian Smalley told Rigley: “You should have known it would have been badly affected by the heat.”

Prosecutor Paul Wright added: “The ferret was in a wire cage on the front passenger seat. There was no water in the cage. The ferret looked lifeless.

“It was curled up with no water and nobody was in the vehicle.”

When questioned, Rigley said he had been given the ferret only 24 hours before.

James Buckley, defending, said: “He said to the inspector how sorry he was for what happened. It was largely an accident.

“At the time, he was not living at a settled address and spent a lot of time sleeping in his car and sofa surfing.

“He had the ferret for only about a day and was given it by a colleague. He had been given a food bowl, milk and planned to keep it for the long term.

“He went to stay at a friend’s house and accepts this was the hottest day of the year.

“His car was in the shade but because it was such a hot day it didn’t afford the animal any protection. When he was relayed the fate of the animal, he was very upset.

“Everyone is aware of what happens to dogs in hot cars but as far as other animals are concerned, it is by no means obvious.”

Rigley, from Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire was jailed for six weeks after he admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. He is already in prison on another matter.

As well as the prison sentence, Rigley was also ordered to pay a total of £215.

Top pic: SWNS