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Pile of Dead Reptiles Discovered

Residents in west Columbus discovered a pile of dead reptiles Wednesday night.

The mysterious find of large snakes, alligators and some turtles occurred on South Yale Street.

Neighbors say the smell was awful and that someone just dumped the animals there.

They add that they tried calling wildlife officials, but reached an answering machine.

Police did come out and take a report.

http://www.10tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3210583&nav=LUESYfQI

Somebody oughta be hung for that!!

Quig

Several people called 10TV Wednesday night complaining about a pile of dead reptiles dumped in their neighborhood.

They found dead snakes, alligators and turtles lying in an alley on the near west side.

By Thursday afternoon, the pile had been removed. But authorities were still trying to determine where the dead animals came from.

The Columbus Sanitation Department picked up the pile early Thursday morning. Sanitation workers say there were adult and baby alligators, boa constrictors at least 6 feet long, turtles, bags of fish and other discarded animals.

Neighbors say that a lot of things have been dumped in their alley before. But the man who made the bizarre discovery says he has no idea where the latest waste came from.

"There’s people who are known to dump off auto parts, dump off cars… stuff like that. You may see a dead cat or something like that there. But not 60 or 70 dead animals, and especially reptilian type," Henry Brake told 10TV.

Columbus sanitation district manager Bob Armstrong says the odor from the waste made it hard for the driver to even haul the garbage.

City officials made it clear that it is illegal to dump any dead animals. At the minimum, it's a third degree misdemeanor, punishable by a $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail.

The penalties with so-called "exotic" animals could be more severe. The Columbus Health Department was investigating, along with police.

Authorities said no area pet shops had any idea whether the reptiles originally came from their stores.

http://www.10tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3214215&nav=LUESYhXI

naaaaaa, hangin's to good, I think they should be drawn and quartered.

Quig

Someone in the crocodilians forum said that there was a large reptile store near there that closed down just recently. I am kinda curious......

Makes one wonder just how hard they tried to find homes for them before dumping them in the alley. It's just a sad waste of life.

Quig

It sounds like the animals were already dead. They were stuffed in clear plastic bags and they were originally in a freezer that was dropped off. Someone came and snatched the freezer and just dumped out all of the reptiles on the concrete.

Ahhhh, OK. That brings up another question. Makes me wonder if they were frozen because they were possibly ill, and what that might do to the neighborhood. The pic isn't real clear, but from what I saw they looked healthy. Just thinkin' out loud again.

Quig

That is just disgusting, I say we skip the capital punishment and just all take turns beating the hell out of the irresponsible __________ (use you imagination) who did this!!!!!!!!! Then if they are still alive when you all and myself are done with him/her, we can then draw and quarter him/her!
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1.1 Albino Burmese
0.1 Normal Burmese
1.0 Veild Chameleon
Waiting for more reptiles of any kind

When do we start the manhunt???

It is a sad part of petshop life, but many shops do have a freezer with dead animals in it. I would guess the idiots that owned the petshop wanted to save a dump fee when they closed and dumped the animals there. Stupid yes, but I am guessing it was not an animal cruelty thing. Those may have been all the dead animals from the time the shop opened until it closed. Just my opinion. Craig Kade

The thought never crossed my mind, but you're probably right Craig.

Quig

I agree with your feelings on that. That thought crossed my mind, and in all honesty, considering the amount of animals and bags that were there, I figured that it was a collection of passed animals that was just stuffed in the freezer for a long time. However, their way of "getting rid" of these items was irresponsible and ignorant. Just another fabulous way for the general public to get a view of reptile owners.

I also agree that the disposal methods were not a great idea to say the least, just did not want people thinking these guys just said, hey lets through all of our inventory in a freezer. A pet shop I worked at a few years ago, the owner would put anything that died in the store into the freezer, he saved it so he could prove his loss. When we finally emptied it, it was quite disgusting thinking about all the poor animals that had died in like 6 years. Craig