NEW BERN, N.C. (WNCT) — A social media post on the Craven County Sheriff’s Office Animal Protective Services Facebook page Wednesday evening made it appear that the program was coming to an end.

Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes spoke with WNCT’s Claire Curry Wednesday night. He said the post was made by one of three employees who have since resigned. It was not made by the sheriff’s office.

(Animal Protective Services Facebook post)

The post was made at 7:48 p.m. and stated that the action was taken due to “our public officials are not open to ordinance changes (except the one that they changed that no longer permits APS to seek medical treatment for animals prior to going to the shelter), creating a low cost spay/neuter program, or prosecuting those responsible for cruelty and neglect. Without these necessary changes, animal welfare within our County will not progress.”

The post went on to say that, after four years as an active part of the Craven County Sheriff’s Office, “this will be our last post. As of today, the APS team that you have supported have all resigned. We wish nothing but the best to those replacing us and we hope they continue to love and care for the animals as we have and do.”

Wednesday’s post had multiple responses Wednesday night asking what happened and what led to the decision. Just after 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, the name of the Facebook page was changed to “Animal Protective Services.” The profile picture was also changed.

The page was disabled sometime on Thursday.

Hughes also said Animal Protective Services is still in operation. He confirmed three of the four employees resigned for personal reasons and that he was aware of the situation ahead of time.

Hughes said one person is still dedicated to only Animal Protective Services. He said other members of the sheriff’s office will continue taking animal-related calls. The process of hiring replacements to fill Animal Protective Services was underway.

The Craven County Sheriff’s Office posted a notice to its Facebook page Thursday, assuring citizens that animal services would continue to be provided.