“Animal Control authority just moved in and seized a handful of exotic animals from a residence here inside the city limits of Grand Island,” said Alyssa Nesiba, lead Animal Control officer.
Fifteen animals were taken, none of them native to Nebraska.
“We took lemurs, coatimundis, and some cavies,” Nesiba said.
Authorities say a public tip led them to where the animals were, and that the owner wasn’t allowed to have them.
“We went there starting out as a welfare check, but the bottom line is since they were inside city limits, that gave us the right to seize the animals,” Nesiba said.
But it didn’t happen overnight. Central Nebraska Humane Society Executive Director Laurie Dethloff says it took coordination between local officials, state groups, and federal agencies to get on the right legal track, and to find a place for the animals to go.
“This was two weeks of lots of phone calls and communicating and sharing ideas and resources,” Dethloff said.
Animal Control officers say this won’t be the last such case, and they want to use it as an example to push for better state laws, or to get more specifics in city and county codes so they can act more quickly and be more prepared.
“There doesn’t seem to be a clear path right now for anybody to be able to move forward, or there are lots of paths, and who is going to take those paths?” said Dethloff.
“It’s not a dog that I can just leash and throw in my truck, so it’s very important that we know what’s out there so we have the correct equipment to be able to deal with them, or we have the correct contacts that we can call in to help deal with them,” said Nesiba.
Reporter’s notes:
The veterinarian on the scene said the lemurs and other animals were well taken care of, but said exotic pets take a lot of space and special requirements.
The Humane Society said it was the living conditions that was the biggest issue and my continue to be.
"Having the appropriate ventilation, food storage did not exist," said Laurie Dethloff, the Executive Director of the Central Nebraska Humane Society. "We're still working with the owner because there are several reptiles, birds, and farm animals that do not meet the criteria within the city code."
Animal Control said they were very surprised when they entered the home that sits on the western boarder of Grand Island.
"The thing that shocked me the most is the living environment they were in," said Alyssa Nesiba, the Lead Animal Control Officer in Grand Island. "It was not clean, there was rotting fruit, lots of bugs, the smell was not pleasant, so that's what shocked me the most. Not so much that she had them, but how she was housing them."
Officials are not releasing the name of the licensed facility the animals were taken to.
Grand Island animal welfare advocates say city code details which wild animals are approved to live in city limits.
EARLIER:
(Apr 16, 2015) NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION OF MAGICAL PARADISE EXOTIC FARM, INC. Magical Paradise Exotic Farm, Inc., a Nebraska nonprofit corporation, has been dissolved. The dissolution of said corporation was authorized by vote of the directors on December 12, 2014, and Articles of Dissolution were filed with the Secretary of State's Office on December 29, 2014. The terms and conditions of the dissolution are that all outstanding liabilities have been paid or otherwise adequately provided for, and the assets of the corporation have been distributed to the person entitled thereto, leaving no liabilities or assets in the corporation. The person who is to wind up and liquidate the business and affairs of the corporation is Debra Vesely, President, 4560 W. Hwy. 30, Grand Island, NE 68803. 2-9-16
(Nebraska TV - Aug 20, 2015)
