Animal Abuse: Exotic animal neglect - 200 animals found - Papillion, NE

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Case ID: 13350

Classification: Neglect / Abandonment, Unlawful Trade/Smuggling

Animal: bird (pet), captive exotic

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Exotic animal neglect - 200 animals found
Papillion, NE (US)

Incident Date: Monday, Mar 10, 2008
County: Sarpy

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Edward Luben

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Exotic animals may have been trafficked through a Papillion home, the Nebraska Humane Society said on Monday as it raided the house looking for evidence.

Humane Society investigators served a search warrant. Neighbors said they could hear large birds squawking from the home and could sometimes smell animals inside the home.

About 200 animals were inside the house, investigators said, and many of them are now in the custody of the Nebraska Humane Society, which will work with agencies who work with exotic animals legally. There were 12 wild animals, including sugar gliders and Asian chipmunks, and 27 birds, NHS said.

For hours on Monday morning and afternoon, Humane Society officials took cage after cage out of the home.

"We have reptiles, fish, snakes, turtles. We have rabbits, mice, hedgehogs, rats, just all kinds of various types of animals in here," said NHS's Mark Langan.

Langan said some of the animals were illegal under Papillion ordinances, while others were legal but in bad health.

"We're taking our time and we want to make sure that any animals we take we have good reason to take them," Langan said. "There are some animals that will be left here at the scene."

NHS is not allowed to take the animals not needing medical care or not living in unsanitary conditions. To determine that, veterinarians looked at each animal individually.

"It will be up to the courts to decide what will happen to the animals, both that we take from the scene here and that are left here in the house," Langan said.

Edward Luben was cited on suspicion of violating rules about the kinds of animals that can live in a home and animal cruelty. NHS said it also suspects that Luben might be illegally breeding the animals as pets. Papillion ordinances limit the number of dogs and cats that can be kept in a home, but not the number of animals, so no charges will be filed against the homeowner for that.

The exotic animals removed from the home will not be available for adoption.

Case Updates

The owner of a Papillion home where about 200 animals were found in March faces multiple counts of animal cruelty and keeping wild animals.

Edward Luben, 42, was charged Monday with 12 counts of keeping wild animals and six counts of animal cruelty stemming from a search of his home on March 10. He also faces six counts of animal cruelty related to chickens found at his home March 2. All are misdemeanors.

"What we saw inside the house on March 2 is what we based our search warrant on for March 10," said Mark Langan of the Nebraska Humane Society.

On March 10, Humane Society investigators and Papillion police officers executed a search warrant at Luben's home at 822 Kilkinny Circle.

Humane Society veterinarians examined each of the animals, which included birds, fish, frogs, turtles, chipmunks, mice, rabbits, sugar gliders (exotic possums) and chickens, and removed 27 birds and 12 animals.

Papillion residents are restricted to no more than four adult cats or dogs, but there is no restriction on the number of small pets.

Luben could not be reached for comment, and no one answered the door at his home Tuesday afternoon.

Langan said the animals are doing well at the Humane Society.

"We allocated space just for those animals," Langan said. "There has been a lot of interest in adopting those animals."

Investigators initially went to Luben's home after an anonymous tip, Langen said. Six chickens found there were underfed, in poor health and one died on the way to the shelter, he said.

Luben is scheduled to appear in court next week.

Source: Omaha World-Herald - April 29, 2008
Update posted on Apr 29, 2008 - 5:40PM

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The lizards, fish, parrots and other animals seized from a Papillion home on Monday are doing well at the Nebraska Humane Society, investigators said on Tuesday.

Humane Society investigators served a search warrant on Monday at the home of Edward Luben. About 200 animals were inside the house. There were 12 wild animals, including sugar gliders and Asian chipmunks, and 27 birds, NHS said. Luben was cited on suspicion of violating rules about the kinds of animals that can live in a home and animal cruelty.

NHS is not allowed to take the animals that do not need medical care or are living in unsanitary conditions. To determine that, veterinarians looked at each animal individually. In total, workers took 27 birds and 12 animals.

Papillion ordinances limit the number of dogs and cats that can be kept in a home, but not the number of animals, so no charges will be filed against the homeowner for that.

"Not every city has specific ordinances geared toward small pocket pets, per se, and birds that you can own, which could actually, I guess, pose a problem in situations like this where someone houses that many number of animals in a single house," said NHS cruelty investigator Kristi Biodrowski.

The Humane Society will hold onto all of the animals until charges of animal cruelty and possession of exotic animals clear the courts. After that, the legal animals will be adopted out or returned to the Papillion homeowner and the exotic animals will be given to rescue groups.

Source: KETV - March 11, 2008
Update posted on Mar 12, 2008 - 12:49AM

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Exotic animal neglect - 200 animals foundPapillion, NE (US)

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Exotic animal neglect - 200 animals found
Papillion, NE (US)