"Seeing innocent, young and vulnerable animals being kept in these conditions is absolutely heartbreaking."

The Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has made an emergency appeal to the public after rescuing over 140 animals from a petting farm in North County Dublin. In a statement published on their Facebook page, the DSPCA described the seizure as the "largest intake of animals" the shelter has seen at any one time. DSPCA inspectors rescued the animals after the Gardaí raised a number of concerns for the animals' welfare. According to the statement, over 140 animals were "locked in cages, hutches pens and sheds" throughout the day and night. The statement read: "It was immediately clear that all the animals were in need of veterinary care and needed to be removed from the location as a matter of urgency. "The animals were surrendered to the DSPCA and a large operation took place to remove over 140 animals to the DSPCA over a 2 day period. 31 dogs, 46 rabbits, 9 guinea pigs, 6 geese, 37 chickens, 9 pigeons, 6 goats, 2 ponies and their foals and a heavily pregnant donkey were all checked by the DSPCA veterinary team." https://www.instagram.com/p/COPpFTPH1o5/ The DSPCA added that a number of the animals, including pigs, geese, horses and donkeys were surrendered to other animal welfare charities. The statement also highlighted the impact the rescue has had on its team members, describing the past week as a "very difficult, emotional and extremely busy" time for the staff. "Seeing innocent, young and vulnerable animals being kept in these conditions is absolutely heartbreaking," they said. A series of photos posted by the charity show the cramped living situations the animals were kept in. The DSPCA, which is Ireland's largest and longest-running animal welfare charity, are appealing to the public for emergency donations to help care for the animals. To make a donation, or for more information head to www.dspca.ie.