BUFFALO NEWS (New York) 12 July 06 SPCA raids pet store, finds dead, sick reptiles, amphibians (Gail Franklin)
Lockport: The Erie County SPCA raided a large pet store Tuesday and found thousands of reptiles and amphibians living in unsanitary conditions - some dead in their cages - as well as a dangerous and illegal animal.
"There are more animals in there than I've ever seen," said Joel Thomas, Erie County SPCA wildlife administrator. "They are not being kept in healthy conditions, and some have medical conditions that are chronic and life threatening. We have found dead animals."
Thomas and a dozen other SPCA workers spent hours Tuesday going through cages at Pets Plus - Reptiles and Exotics at 421 West Ave., a popular retail and wholesale business. He said most of the severe conditions were found on the private second floor of the warehouse-like building, and minor problems were identified in the public space where dogs, cats and birds are kept.
"There are not enough people in that building right now to care for all those animals," Thomas said. "Some of them haven't had food and water in days, and some haven't had their cages cleaned in a month. Some of their own cleaning and feeding records even back that up."
Two veterinarians from the Buffalo Zoo were on hand to evaluate the conditions of animals and decide which needed immediate care. By late afternoon, two large vans were filled with animals in cages, from a dehydrated vine python to a sickly argus monitor lizard, and it was estimated dozens would eventually be removed for care.
Thomas said a dangerous situation still exists. He said an 8-foot-long crocodile monitor lizard is being held in an upstairs room, and it has a poisonous infection that needs surgical care.
Thomas said the rare animal is illegal to own under state law, but with its long claws, capturing it will be no easy task.
"He's a large carnivorous lizard from Indochina with large teeth, and his bite can cause severe infection," Thomas said. "That lizard is not going anywhere. He is too dangerous to be taken anywhere immediately."
No charges against the business owner were filed Tuesday, but SPCA officials said they would return for further investigation this week, and work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to bring charges.
Fred Kick, who said he owns and operates the pet store, talked briefly with some reporters around noon, emerging from the store with a piece of paper he said proves the state had given approval to his shop. He did not hand out copies of the document, and would not comment when later approached.
The investigation began last week when someone told the Department of Environmental Conservation that the store could be housing large reptiles that are illegal to possess in New York, according to SPCA spokeswoman Gina Browning. The Erie County SPCA was asked on Friday to house any illegal animals found; the Niagara County SPCA is not equipped to house reptiles.
However, DEC investigators found more than just an illegal animal, Browning said, and the Erie County SPCA spent the weekend writing a request for a warrant, which was signed Tuesday morning by Niagara County Judge Peter L. Broderick and Niagara County Assistant District Attorney Timothy R. Lundquist.
Kick mentioned that the problem may have stemmed from "a disgruntled employee," but would not elaborate.
"We've had complaints, and been in there a number of times," said Albert Chille, Niagara County SPCA executive director, when reached at his office on Tuesday. "Nothing major. He's always been very cooperative with us. . . . He's been in business quite a while."
Dozens of customers were turned away Tuesday. Browning called what she saw on the second floor "disgusting." While reporters were not permitted to go inside the store, she showed digital pictures she had taken of a dead gecko in its cage and a live snake coiled on top of a dead one.
"There are snakes being housed in plastic shoe boxes, each one with 12 babies," she said. "There were 400 snakes in just one room, and there are 10 rooms."
It appears the snakes were being bred for sale, and Browning said she saw exotic animals with price tags as high as $8,000.
"There were iguanas with no water under a heat lamp, and it was 89 degrees," she said.
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060712/1015965.asp
WSTM (Syracuse, New York) 12 July 06 SPCA seizes store's reptiles, but one big one stays behind
Lockport, N.Y.: Authorities have removed a large number of reptiles and amphibians from a western New York pet store, but one big lizard is being left alone because it's too dangerous to handle.
Officials with the Erie County S-P-C-A say investigators found thousands of reptiles and amphibians living in unhealthy conditions at Pets Plus Reptiles and Exotics in Lockport in Niagara County.
The S-P-C-A says some were found dead in their cages, while many others were suffering from life-threatening conditions after not being fed or watered for several days.
Veterinarians from the Buffalo Zoo were brought in to examine the reptiles, which included a python and a monitor lizard.
Officials say an eight-foot-long crocodile monitor lizard native to Southeast Asia is being kept at the store because it has a poisonous infection that needs surgical care. An S-P-C-A official says it's illegal to own the carnivorous lizard in New York state.
The owner of the store isn't commenting to the media
http://www.wstm.com/Global/story.asp?S=5139566&nav=2aKD
