Hoarding - 137 animals seized from rehabilitator
Westchester, NY (US)Incident Date: Monday, Dec 11, 2006
County: Bronx
Disposition: Not Charged
Person of Interest: Patrick Moore
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
More than 100 animals were seized at a location in Westchester County where a 17-year-old wildlife rehabilitator is accused of numerous counts of animal cruelty.
Officials say agents from the Humane Law Enforcement Division of the SPCA of Westchester were responding to a suspected case of animal abuse when they found animals being kept in filthy conditions and lacking food and water.
Authorities believe it is a case of good intentions gone wrong as the suspect took on more animals than he was able to care for.
Rabbits, guinea pigs, turtles, ferrets, chameleons, bearded dragons, cats, Australian squirrels, hamsters, diamond doves, cockatiels, love birds, a prairie dog, chickens, roosters, domestic pigeons, peacocks, geese and other waterfowl were all seized from the location, according to authorities.
A local Westchester County animal group had reportedly been involved in the oversight of the location for the past few weeks, but apparently did very little in the way of supporting efforts to care for the animals.
"Animal rescue is one best left to organizations with the staff and volunteers already in place to handle the enormous demands," Chief of the SPCA's Humane Law Enforcement Division Ken Ross said. "Well-meaning individuals need to be aware that a situation can quickly spiral out of their control."
As a result of the investigation, the animals were signed over to the SPCA of Westchester, and SPCA staff and volunteers immediately began efforts to improve the animals' living conditions and well-being. Some of the animals have been taken to an emergency veterinary hospital and are being treated by SPCA and volunteer veterinarians.
Although the SPCA has placed many animals, it is still looking for good homes for at least 50 more.
Interested parties can contact the SPCA of Westchester at 914-941-2896.
At present, it appears that no criminal charges will be filed in this case.
Case UpdatesTown police won't pursue charges against an 18-year-old wildlife rehabilitator who was overseeing about 150 animals in filthy conditions last month.
Police had been considering criminal charges relating to the presence of medical supplies at the Westchester Avenue property where Patrick Moore was keeping cats, peacocks, lizards and South American squirrels, among other animals.
Police Chief Dave Ryan said yesterday that, instead of facing criminal charges, the teen was expected to surrender his state Department of Environmental Conservation wildlife rehabilitation license for a year.
"Knowing the parties involved, there is no (criminal) intent on his part," Ryan said. "He didn't take these animals in with the expectation or intent to harm them."
Ryan said police couldn't prove who was medicating the animals, and didn't know who furnished the medical supplies. They confiscated hundreds of syringes and a large quantity of animal medication, police said.
The Westchester Avenue property owner alerted the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals after becoming concerned about the increasing number of animals being brought to the accessory building on her property, the agency said. The SPCA went to the home Dec. 7 and found animals living in feces-ridden conditions.
The menagerie included rabbits, guinea pigs, turtles, ferrets, lovebirds, hamsters, pigeons, a prairie dog and waterfowl.
Ken Ross, chief the SPCA's Humane Law Enforcement Division, reiterated yesterday that the agency didn't expect to charge the 18-year-old with animal cruelty, but noted that the investigation was continuing.
Authorities have said that this appears to be a case of a well-meaning teenager who got in over his head while taking in animals from various rescue groups.
"You can't have people, who don't know what they're doing, jump in and think they're doing a great thing when they're really not," Ross said.
Ross also couldn't say whether any charges would be brought against Animal Nation, the animal rights group to which Moore belonged.
Based on interviews with parties in the case, it's the SPCA's understanding that the Rye-based group was renting the accessory building where the animals were found, and that the group was paying for the electricity, Ross said.
Jill Doornick, executive director of Animal Nation, said yesterday that she didn't want to comment on the case, but that she hoped the young man would continue working with animals.
"He's done everything to rescue and help (animals) with all good intentions," Doornick said. "We need more people like him."
Moore could not be reached yesterday for comment.
Ross said the animals' conditions generally improved after they received proper care, but about a half-dozen died, including some ferrets, rabbits and a rooster.
About 130 of the animals have been placed in permanent homes, Ross said. There are some cats with ringworm and upper respiratory problems that were still being cared for at the SPCA's Briarcliff Manor shelter, he said. Reptiles, including bearded dragon lizards, were still being cared for at the Katonah-Bedford Hills Veterinary Center, Ross said. | Source: The Journal News - Jan 10, 2007
Update posted on Jan 11, 2007 - 1:56AM |
Town police say an 18-year-old wildlife rehabilitator is expected to face charges relating to the presence of a large number of syringes and animal medication confiscated from a property where the SPCA said it recently found about 150 animals living in "filthy" conditions.
A Westchester Avenue property owner had been allowing the teenager - Patrick Moore - to use a small accessory building on her property to care for the animals, which the SPCA has seized.
The menagerie included rabbits, guinea pigs, turtles, ferrets, chameleons, cats, South American squirrels, hamsters, cockatiels, lovebirds, chickens, domestic pigeons, peacocks and geese, as well as other waterfowl.
The SPCA has turned over "hundreds and hundreds" of syringes found at the Westchester Avenue property to town police, said Chief Dave Ryan. They also turned over a large quantity of animal medications kept in bottles and packages, Ryan said.
"Clearly they were there to medicate the animals," Ryan said of the medical supplies. "Whether he (the teenager) did it, I don't know. That's what we're still investigating."
Moore could not be reached at his Hack Green Road home yesterday.
The medications came from veterinary centers in Westchester and Putnam counties and Connecticut, but Ryan couldn't say how they got to the Westchester Avenue property.
The police chief also couldn't say what charges the teenager might face, but he did say authorities would seek to have him stripped of a state Department of Environmental Conservation license that allows him to temporarily care for injured wildlife.
"He has a great heart. I know him personally," Ryan said. "He's not a bad kid, but this was well beyond his means and capability. But he possessed the license and believed he had the right to do it."
Ken Ross, the chief of the Humane Law Enforcement Division at the SPCA of Westchester, said the wildlife rehabilitator isn't expected to face animal cruelty charges, but he noted the investigation is continuing.
SPCA officials have said they feel the teenager was well-intentioned but became overwhelmed after bringing more and more animals to the Pound Ridge site.
The homeowner had become concerned by the increasing number of animals, and contacted the SPCA, Ross has said.
The group went to the property last Thursday.
They found overcrowded, feces-ridden conditions and many animals lacking food and water, according to the SPCA.
Two rabbits and a goose have already died, Ross said around 1 p.m. yesterday.
"A lot of them are iffy," Ross said of the animals.
The teenager got the animals from a variety of sources, including the Catskill Game Farm, the New York City Animal Care and Control, and "just about anyone who wanted to give an animal to him," according to a recent SPCA news release.
The teenager's DEC license is irrelevant because most of the animals found at the Pound Ridge property don't qualify as wildlife.
Dozens of people called the SPCA's Briarcliff Manor site yesterday to inquire about adopting the animals. The group had found permanent homes for 80 percent of them, Ross said.
Some animals are being kept at the SPCA as well as the Pound Ridge site, where the group's volunteers are caring for them.
The Katonah-Bedford Hills Veterinary Center took in reptiles seized from the property, including four bearded dragon lizards, an albino leopard gecko, and a box turtle, said Chris Cooper, hospital support services coordinator for the veterinary center.
"It's going to take months to get them back on the road to recovery," Cooper said.
Moore is a member of the Rye-based Animal Nation, an animal rights group.
Ross has said that before contacting the SPCA, the homeowner had called Animal Nation to get the teenager help, but added that the conditions weren't fixed. Jill Doornick, the group's founder, said the Westchester Avenue location is not one of her organization's sanctuaries. She said yesterday that her organization found homes for some animals.
"We were doing the best we could," Doornick said. "We didn't get a chance to finish."
Ryan said police have investigated allegations before that the teenager was keeping animals in poor conditions at his Pound Ridge home, but those concerns were determined to be unfounded, the chief said.
But the wildlife rehabilitator did have to relocate some "exotic animals" found at his home this year, Ryan said. | Source: The Journal News - Dec 14, 2006
Update posted on Dec 18, 2006 - 4:39PM |
The Westchester Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is looking for good homes for dozens of animals, rescued from a make-shift animal welfare center run by a 17-year old.
There's a cat missing a paw, and another with feline AIDS, along with a mouse with a stomach tumor and a bearded dragon lizard suffering from dehydration.
All told, 137 animals were rescued from a building at 24 Westchester Avenue, rented by a 17-year old who fancied himself an animal rescuer. Taking in an abundance of animals for care, but improperly caring for them is also known as "animal hoarding." Most hoarders don't realize they're doing something wrong, and believe they're actually helping the animals out by taking them in.
"It appears he tried to do, with the best of intentions, to save any animal that came his way," said Deborah Mehne, board chairman of the Westchester SPCA. "Many of the animals were from other rescue groups.
Mehne said the intention was good, but the consequence was cruelty. The facility was filthy, and many of the animals suffered from starvation and dehydration.
Mehne said the 17-year old "was completely overwhelmed, out of his league, out of funds, and the result is the biggest seizure of animals we've ever seen."
The 17-year old was trying to care for more almost 40 geese and chickens, 35 pigeons, five peacocks, 17 cats and kittens, a prairie dog, and more than a dozen lizards and turtles. He was renting space in someone's home to care for the animals, but the homeowner claims to have no idea that the animals were not being properly cared for.
"If you don't have a support system in place, you're overwhelmed, and then you're embarrassed," said Chris Cooper, an animal expert at the Katonah-Bedford Veterinary Center. "Then you don't want to say anything, afraid you'll be accused of not caring for the animals properly."
Agents also uncovered syringes where the caretaker had taken action to self-medicate the animals.
Cooper now is helping to care for some of the exotic pets rescued from the Pound Ridge facility. He's nursing four bearded dragon lizards back to health, including one whose front paws were bitten off at some point.
Other animals seized from the home include rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, chameleons, Australian squirrels, hamsters, diamond doves, cockatiels, love birds, chickens/roosters, and many geese and other waterfowl.
"These guys take a long time to get ill, and it takes a long time for them to recover," Cooper said.
According to the Westchester SPCA, this is the largest and most diverse animal seizure for them.
Caring for so many animals is straining the Westchester SPCA budget. Anyone who can donate, or adopt, is urged to do so.
Cruelty investigators do not anticipate filing charges against the teen.
Anyone interested in caring for the animals can contact the SPCA of Westchester at 914-941-2896 or can click here for more information. | Source: WCBS - Dec 12, 2006
Update posted on Dec 13, 2006 - 10:02PM |
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