Animal Abuse: Seized-Over 100 exotic birds from alleged bird mill - Portland, TN

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Case ID: 18359

Classification: Neglect / Abandonment

Animal: cat, captive exotic

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Attorneys/Judges

Prosecutor(s):	William G. Lamberth II
Defense(s):	Lawren Lassiter
Judge(s):	Jim Hunter

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Case #18359 Rating: 2.3 out of 5

Seized-Over 100 exotic birds from alleged bird mill
Portland, TN (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Aug 3, 2011
County: Sumner

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 4 files available

Defendant/Suspect: Lasandra Walter

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

The Portland Police Department has seized 116 exotic birds from an alleged exotic bird mill at a home.

The Animal Rescue Corps is assisting in the rescue of the birds from the Hookbill Haven Aviary on Fowler Ford Road, which is a business front for a single occupancy home.

Following the investigation, Portland Police Department officers arrested Lasandra Walter, 69, who lives at the house on 434 Fowler Ford Road in Portland, and charged her with one count of aggravated animal cruelty and four counts of animal cruelty. Walter was released on Wednesday on $1,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in Sumner County General Sessions Court on Aug. 10.

She told us that none of the animals were abused, and the allegations against her are coming from a disgruntled former employee. She plans to fight them.

Rescuers said the birds are living in horrendous conditions in filthy cages with putrid water and inedible food.

"We have a team of veterinarians out here who have assessed each animal prior to removal and we've identified a significant number of animals in need of care," said Scotlund Haisley with the Animal Rescue Corps.

Police got a complaint from a person who had been inside the house a couple of weeks ago.

"They said the house was very dirty. They were a bird person too and felt the birds were not taken care of like they should be or properly and everything," said Stan Jones with Portland Police Department.

A neighbor said she noticed lots of other animals outside the house like roosters. The neighbor had no idea the exotic birds were in the house.

"To me I like to mind my own business but when it comes to health and safety, I mean, that's not right. Those animals deserve something better," neighbor April Hullinger said.

Responders had to wear respirators due to the threat of contracting psittacosis, a potentially fatal disease caused by exposure to bird fecal matter.

Many of the exotic birds have substantial feather loss and showed obvious signs of illness. At least one exotic bird was found dead in the home.

The birds included African Greys, Amazons, Cockatoos, Conures, Lovebirds, Pionus, Senegals and at least one Quaker parrot, an Illegal breed in Tennessee. They were found living throughout the house, many of them without any safe structures or proper confinements. There were also roosters living in the kitchen.

The birds are being transported to an emergency shelter set up at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in Nashville.

Each animal will receive a veterinary exam, appropriate vaccinations and any necessary immediate medical treatment by a team of local veterinarians.

They will provide daily care until custody of the birds is determined and they can be placed with shelters and rescue groups.

Police also seized with 8 cats.

To aid the http://www.facebook.com/AnimalRescueCorps).

Case Updates

Seven exotic birds found in a freezer during an animal cruelty investigation in Portland earlier this month died of starvation, according to necropsy reports.

Scotlund Haisley, president of the non-profit Animal Rescue Corps, said 36 tests were performed on the seven birds. It cost his organization $100 per bird for the testing, which was done at an animal disease diagnostic lab in Nashville.

The results came back last week.

"This is part of our evidence collection," Haisley said. "There was evidence of muscle atrophy, which doesn't happen overnight, and many other secondary issues that are likely the result of starvation."

Haisley said investigators suspected the birds died of starvation from the start.

More than 130 birds were rescued from the Lasandra Walter's Portland home.

Source: tennessean.com - Aug 26, 2011
Update posted on Aug 27, 2011 - 11:29PM

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Lasandra Walter pleaded guilty to four counts of animal cruelty at the Sumner County General Sessions Court on Wednesday, Aug. 10.

Walter, 69, was arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 3., and charged with one count of aggravated animal cruelty and four counts of animal cruelty after officials found more than 100 birds, some in critical health, living with minimal food and in unsanitary conditions at a breeding facility in Portland. This unique type of case has not been seen in Sumner County in more than 30 years, said Ken Weidner, director of the Sumner County Emergency Management Agency.

"They condemned her house, and she has been homeless since the day of the arrest," Walter's attorney Lawren Lassiter said. "That's put a lot of pressure on her, but she goes back to feed the animals that they did not take. I'm trying to get her back in her house."

The plea followed a daylong negotiation between Lassiter and Sumner County Assistant District Attorney William G. Lamberth II, who represented the state. The aggravated animal cruelty charge was reduced to animal cruelty and one of the animal cruelty charges was dismissed. The state also brought a new charge of possession of a wildlife without a permit, for a Quaker parrot that is illegal to own in Tennessee, to which Walter also pleaded guilty. Except for two parrots that will be returned to her, Walter may not possess any exotic birds or engage in any commercial breeding again, according to the judgment by General Sessions Judge Jim Hunter.

The judgment also requires Walter to submit proof of an annual veterinarian examination on any animals she keeps to the Portland Police Department. Besides the 136 seized birds, Walter also has about 30 chickens and roosters, 20 geese, 11 horses and 13 cats. The Hookbill Haven Aviary bird breeding business was the sole income for Walter, who receives $210 a month in Social Security, $110 of which goes to Medicare.

"I really don't know what I'm gonna do," said Walter, who's battling colon cancer. "I've been sleeping in my truck in the driveway, and it's hot because it doesn't have an air conditioning, and I am sick. I just want to get back in the house."

Following an examination, officials of the Sumner County Construction & Development Department, which operates under Planning and Zoning, condemned Walter's single-occupancy house, which was crowded with rusty cages of various sizes, stacked on top of one another, officials said.

"Charging her with animal cruelty is one thing, but removing her from her home adds a whole new dimension to this case," Lassiter said. "Her daughter came from Cincinnati last night, and they got to sleep at her daughter's car, which is air-conditioned."

More than 50 emergency responders, volunteers and animal activists from Tennessee, Washington D.C., California and Texas arrived with a search warrant at Walter's house on 434 Fowler Ford Road in Portland, where she had lived, bred and sold exotic birds for more than 30 years through Hookbill Haven Aviary. After talks with officials, Walter surrendered 136 exotic birds to rescuers of the Washington D.C.-based Animal Rescue Corps, who took the birds to an emergency shelter set up at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in Nashville.

Rescuers also found eight dead exotic birds in the kitchen freezer. One African Grey parrot was "weak, lethargic, dehydrated," had "ravenous appetite," was dying from starvation and had to be put on oxygen immediately. An Amazon parrot had an open, infected head wound with scabbing present, officials said. Veterinarians and volunteers have been carrying for the birds to be taken to various sanctuaries.

"These are the worst conditions for birds I've ever seen," ARC Founder Scotlund Haisley said. "Basic necessities have not been provided to them for a long time. Filthy enclosures, putrid water and inedible food in every cage. These are terrible, inhumane conditions."

Walter said most of her exotic birds were healthy, and the ones that were not had health conditions that existed before she owned them. She also said she fed and gave them water regularly. Cleaning cages, however, became hard in March of 2010, when Walter was diagnosed with colon cancer and had 10 inches of her colon removed. In July, she requested assistance from Martha Oliver, of Scottsville, Ky., who has previously helped care for the birds, and the two cleaned the cages, Walter said.

"The majority of the birds were healthy," Walter said. "Most of them were given to me, and they were old birds that had had previous injuries. Nobody wanted them because they are wild, they bite, and they have problems. I didn't know there were any birds to be in that bad of a condition."

Lassiter said that although the state presented evidence some of the birds needed medical care, he said Walter has no bad intentions.

"She is in the bird rescue herself," Lassiter said. "This woman never acted in a sadistic manner. She just got sick and got overwhelmed. She was very selective of whom she sold (the birds). She is full of love for all of God's creatures."

After helping Walter, Oliver reported concerns of the conditions at the facility to the Portland Police Department that obtain the search warrant after a two-week investigation. Walter said she has been cleaning her house daily with help from family and friends. After daily care at the Nashville shelter, rescuers sent 55 of the exotic birds to a sanctuary in San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday. The rest of the birds will go to other animal organizations, ARC Spokesman Tim Woodward said.

Source: tennessean.com - Aug 10, 2011
Update posted on Aug 11, 2011 - 12:56AM

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Seized-Over 100 exotic birds from alleged bird millPortland, TN (US)

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Seized-Over 100 exotic birds from alleged bird mill
Portland, TN (US)