TAMPA - Hillsborough Animal Services investigators say 29-year-old Winston Tsai allowed several pets, some exotic, to starve to death.

A tip led investigators to his Tampa apartment on Tuesday and they got a strong clue things were not going to look good inside. "I can describe what we smelled when we got to the apartment complex," said Investigator Pam Perry. "It was overwhelming. It was obvious there was probably going to be a frightening situation inside."

Inside, investigators found more than 20 deceased reptiles; tarantuals, both alive and dead; a malnourished cat, and two wolf hybrid dogs, one that detectives say appeared to have been muzzled for days.

Detectives say 3 baby boa constrictors were near death and had to get emergency care. Detectives say several areas of the home, including the living room and kitchen, were littered with animal waste.

"It was frightening to know this young man was living in this residence with these animals that were literally dying all around him and not doing anything about it, " said Perry.

Animal investigators say the 29-year-old restaurant worker had very little to say when he was arrested. When asked why the animals weren't being fed, detectives say the suspect told them it was because he was being deployed and would be leaving soon. Those who know Tsai say he was a member of the ROTC and had studied to be a forensic anthropologist at the University of Florida but never graduated.

Now the former UF student sits in jail facing criminal charges of animal cruelty.
www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/dead-reptiles-found-apartment-112409

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