We love stories about exotic animals but not when they're taken from someone's home. Check this out. Someone found an alligator wandering around this neighborhood when they were out walking their dog! Can you imagine? It was living in THIS home!
Well, whether or not the exotic animal owner thinks this is fair, his neighbors definitely think the animals should be removed from the home! Yikes!
Let's unpack this for you.
A man had more than 30 exotic animals in his Pittsburgh home. Police and animal welfare officers removed 32 animals and there were also multiple dead animals in the house. Here's what was removed according to the police:
- 3 alligators
- 1 Burmese Python
- 1 Granite Burmese Python
- 1 Rattlesnake
- 2 Green Iguanas
- 2 small iguanas
- 1 Nile Monitor Lizard
- 4 Hairless rats
- 4 Quails
- 5 Yellow-Bellied Slider turtles (one dead turtle in an aquarium)
- 6 Rabbits (including five pregnant rabbits)
- 2 Guinea pigs
There were not one but three alligators living in the home! CBS Pittsburgh interviewed the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Public Information Officer Chris Togneri.
"Three alligators, one had a bloody neck wound, one Burmese python, two iguanas, one rattlesnake, one mild lizard, two small iguanas and four hairless rats."
They found the animals were living in poor conditions.
He won't be getting the animals taken back. The man feels like he's being harassed.
I'm not sure about what other animals are in the house but I'm certain the animals taken should belong in a zoo.
Law enforcement had a pretty long list of exotic animals and wild animals that are considered exotic pets but in some cases, these may be animals you can only obtain through illegal trade. These seem more difficult to live with than even the Serval cat.
It's so awful to think about how many lived in poor health. It's probably a good thing that the alligator was wandering around or perhaps the neighbors wouldn't have known about these endangered species at all! This is clearly a public safety issue. I wonder how smugglers got those pythons here!
Maybe ferrets are a better choice!
Do you or anyone you know, live with exotic animals? Please comment below!
