North Carolina: Amanda Davis charged with Animal Cruelty after leaving her pet squirrel to cook inside hot car

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA -- A woman was arrested after leaving her pet squirrel in a hot car that reached temperatures over 100°F, according to Charlotte Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control.

The owner of the "Sugar Glider" flying squirrel, Amanda Davis, has been charged with ill treatment of animals.

Around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1,  Animal Care and Control responded to a call regarding an animal locked inside of a car at 302 Aiken Avenue. The Animal Care and Control officer was alerted to the animal being in the car around 1:15 p.m., and says that his office may have been notified as early as 12:00 p.m. that same day.

Police said Davis' roommate became concerned and called police after she saw Davis put the animal in her blue Honda Accord before leaving the house.

When officers arrived they found the a window cracked slightly and a cage covered in blankets in the backseat. 

The temperature inside the car was 114°F at the time, according to Animal Care and Control. No food or water were left with the animal.

Authorities removed the squirrel from the car just after 3:00 p.m. Davis arrived on scene about five minutes after the animal was taken out of the car. She told officers she had put it in the car around 1:00 p.m. and left.

She was arrested and charged, and Animal Care and Control took custody of the animal, telling Davis she could pick it up at a later date.

What?! She shouldn't get this poor squirrel back!

(Fox5 - May 3, 2018)

Canada: Woman says she was misled by seller regarding care required for sugar gliders she purchased

CANADA -- A woman who bought two sugar gliders at K-Days regrets her decision after learning more about the exotic pets.

Cheryl Morin, 34, was with her family at K-Days on Saturday when she was drawn to the long, bushy tails and big, expressive eyes of the sugar gliders at a booth on the midway.

"It's so cute and it looks cuddly, I wanted one," Morin said.

The vendor, Sugar Bears, also known as Perfect Pocket Pets, was selling the tiny marsupials on the midway under a tent.

On Tuesday they were shut down after complaints were made. A K-Days spokesperson said it was closed because of the heat and the location.

After buying two sugar gliders for a total of $1,300, Morin said K-Days should have been concerned about the sales technique and lack of information provided when she was buying the animals.

"They bring out this really tame one that's up during the day and you think it's so neat and you can bring it to the beach or for a coffee, but it's not like that at all," she said.

"He didn't say I should go home and think about it. He said they're great: 'Look, I have one in my pocket.'"

She was given a CD with more information about her new pets. She listened to it on the way home, and her eyes grew as wide as those of the sugar gliders.

"That's when you start hearing about possible hypothermia if they're not kept warm. They say don't listen to the internet, because you can kill them if you feed them certain foods.

"Don't feed them bugs because they make them stink. They stink anyway. I'm listening and wondering what we're getting ourselves into."

She's named her new pets Dobby and Winkie, but says they're not much for cuddling at all.

She said they're noisy, and one of them is very aggressive, which leads to biting and quick movements to get away.

"I'm terrified. I don't want to touch them."

She now realizes the marsupials, which are native to Australia, will take a lot more research and patience.

For now, Morin's daughter Nichole, 16, is the only one who plays with them when the nocturnal animals wake up around 10 p.m.

Morin has emailed Sugar Bears about her concerns over the information given, but she hasn't heard back. On Wednesday, a representative contacted CBC News about allegations of misinformation.

Matt Grant, a regional representative for Sugar Bears, told CBC news this week that every potential customer is told to go home to do their due diligence before buying a pet.

Grant did not reply to questions about Morin's concerns Thursday.

Morin has been in touch with a sugar glider rescue organization, and said she'll have to pay $500 for more food and a bigger cage.

She says putting Dobby and Winkie up for adoption is an option, but she's hoping it doesn't come to that.

(CBA.ca - July 29, 2016)

New York: 400 Birds, Turtles, Chinchillas Seized From NY Home belonging to Gary Gruber

NEW YORK -- Approximately 400 animals, mostly birds and turtles, were seized from a home Tuesday in what is being called Nassau County's largest animal seizure.

Nassau County SPCA spokesman Gary Rogers said officers with the Animal Crime Unit executed a search warrant at the home on Ocean Avenue in Bellmore Tuesday morning and found the animals living in unsanitary conditions.

The raid came after a neighbor complained numerous times about the noise and smell from the home.

The family shared the house with more than 250 birds, many of them beautiful, most of them exotic, and all of them loud.

"It sounded like the Amazon," a neighbor said.

"Oh, yeah. You can't help but know. You walk by and hear the birds," said Jackie Cornman, a neighbor.

"This is the illegal one. That's an illegal Asian Water Monitor," an animal expert said.

 

Birds were just the beginning. The owner had 151 reptiles, mostly turtles, like an alligator snapping turtle. He also had chinchilla's, prairie dogs, a skunk, and a few sugar gliders.

Nathan DeCorpo, a lawyer for homeowner Gary Gruber [wants us to believe that] his client "is a conservationist who rehabilitates animals". But the SPCA disagrees.

"We're going to be here for a long time today. It was animals living in filthy [slimy] water, they didn't have proper food and water, and they were living without a healthy supply of healthy fresh air. It was very unsanitary in there," said Gary Rogers, SPCA Spokesman. "It’s a condition that you wouldn’t want to live in and we have a responsibility not to leave the animals there either.”

Workers wore Tyvek suits and some had air filtration systems because the smell was so pungent.

"It's horrible for the animals. The animals couldn't have fared well, and you saw, the animals that are coming out, there's nine birds in a cage, that's cruelty and those animals are beautiful," Cornman said.

 

It’s not the first time animal rescuers visited Gruber.

Nearly a year ago, they removed an alligator he owned. In a deal back then, Gruber was told to clean up his home [in exchange for criminal charges not being filed against him] but he failed to meet the deadline. The investigation is continuing.

(WABC- June 21, 2016)

Michigan: Exotic animals case against Jessica Achberger, 40, and Troy Leiby, 40, bound over to circuit court

MICHIGAN -- Jessica Achberger, 40, and Troy Leiby, 40, were bound over to circuit court Wednesday afternoon after the conclusion of their preliminary examination in the case of exotic animals found at their Mottville Township home.

The preliminary examination began on Feb. 16, but was unable to be completed as an emergency hearing took place when Dr. Judilee Marrow from Binder Park Zoo requested permission from the court to euthanize the Bettong on Friday, Feb. 19.

Achberger and Leiby are facing three counts of animal torture; one count for the Bettong, one count for the Coatimundi and one count for the Macaque Monkey. Both are facing one count of obstruction of justice.

Judge Jeffrey Middleton presided over the preliminary examination.

*  Achberger’s count results from Jan. 28 after she wasn’t truthful with authorities about exotic animals being present in the home. Leiby’s count results from Jan. 20 when authorities were first called to the home and Leiby told them there were no exotic animals present.

Middleton said, “That [obstruction of justice] should be count one, it will be the most serious of charges.”

Achberger and Leiby also face one count of animal cruelty charges.

 

 

 

“This case does not hold a lot of jury appeal for the defendants, the jurors are going to hear this and their blood pressure is going to go up. There’s two sides to every story and we haven’t heard your side,” Middleton said.

Middleton continued, “These animals should not have been there in the first place. I don’t think you intentionally wanted to harm these animals; you got in over your head. You were trying to fit five pounds of sand in a one-pound bag.”

(Three Rivers News - March 3, 2016)

Earlier:

• Michigan: Exotic animals seized from home in deplorable condition; Jessica Achberger arrested

Michigan: Exotic animals seized from home in deplorable condition; Jessica Achberger arrested

"Upon entry, it was a very horrific scene," said Gregory Musser, the Animal Control supervisor with the St. Joseph County Sheriff's department. "The smells were unbearable."

MICHIGAN -- A Mottville couple is under arrest Thursday night for keeping exotic animals in their house.

 

Wallabies and flying squirrels are just two of the types of wild animals they were keeping illegally.

Authorities are working to remove the animals from the home, saying the conditions there are deplorable, and deputies are concerned about one animal in particular.

 

Wallabies, flying squirrels, exotic raccoons, and a monkey. Those are just some of the more than 20 animals kept at the Mottville home.

"I was in there one time, probably the first year they lived here. They had a giant cat, I think it was either from Africa or India," said neighbor Jerry Willings.

 

Jessica Achberger and her husband are facing charges of animal cruelty, and owning the exotic animals without permits.

Authorities went through the house Thursday, making the discoveries after a concerned neighbor called animal control.

They had seen the wallabies bouncing in the backyard. According to the St. Joseph County Sheriff's Department, the couple owned a pet store in Indiana, and that's where the animals came from.

 

"We were told by them they had to close their store, and that they were trying to keep all the animals here, and they intended to keep them for themselves as pets," said Josh Shook, with St. Joseph County Animal Control.

Deputies say the animals were living inside the house in deplorable conditions. Authorities tell us most of the critters seem to be in good health, expect for the monkey, which could be carrying diseases.

"We're concerned about its welfare, and the fact it hasn't had any medical attention in a very long time. Monkeys that aren't maintained properly can carry diseases harmful to humans," Shook said.

Authorities are working with local zoos to find the animals a temporary home.

The accused couple could be in front of a judge as soon as Friday.

(WWMT - Jan 28, 2016)

It looks as though Anna Morrow and Jessica Achberger had moved their pet store, Downunder Reef Pet Shop, from Granger, Indiana to nearby Elkhart, Indiana a few years back and mistakenly thought that because they had USDA licenses to breed and sell exotic animals that the USDA license would protect them from Elkhart local ordinances which prohibits the sale and ownership of exotic animals. Maybe they thought they could open the pet store in Michigan? Either way, it's way too many animals for just two people to care for properly.

Elkhart pet shop may violate exotic animal ordinance (Aug 4, 2013)
Anna Morrow said they were told that their USDA license overrules local ordinances, but according to a USDA official, that is not how the license works.

Tanya Espinosa, public affairs specialist for the USDA’s animal and plant health inspection service, confirmed that Downunder Reef does have a license to breed and sell exotics. However, people who hold USDA licenses must abide by state, county and city laws, Espinosa said.

 

Jonathan Long, deputy city attorney for Elkhart, also said there is no permit that allows pet shop owners or residents to sell or keep exotic animals in the city of Elkhart.

“It’s against city ordinance to harbor any exotic animals,” Long emphasized.

Exotic pet store owners say they are doing everything right (Aug 5, 2013)

A local publication has brought a new pet shop into question. Downunder Reef Pet Shop is new to Elkhart and concerns are being raised about if they're complying with city ordinances when it comes to the animals they house.

Owners Anna Morrow and Jessica Achberger say they are doing everything right to their knowledge. Downunder Reef is new to the area, but they aren't new to the business. 

 

"We're doing the same thing that we've done in the last two years, it's just in another city," says Morrow.

Questions have came up about if this new pet shop is complying with city codes on their animals, but these owners say they've met all city requirements. "Our ducks are in a row, we've always taken the provisions to making sure we have the licensing," says Achberger. 

FOX28 talked to the city's law office about this. They confirmed that the pet store has proper licenses for running a pet shop in Elkhart. Deputy city attorney Jonathan Long says, "Both the police department and the city are aware of the potential of exotic animals."

"We breed and sale savannah cats and Bengal cats and sugar gliders," says Achberger.

Mother-Daughter Duo Maria Crespo And Teresa Horta-Barrial Face 154 Animal Cruelty Charges Each

FLORIDA -- A mother-daughter duo are behind bars, facing 154 animal cruelty charges each, reports Local 10.

According to the Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department, an anonymous report of animal cruelty alerted investigators to the deplorable living conditions of more than 80 dogs and other animals, reportedly including ferrets, parakeets, and two sugar gliders.

Rescuers found the dogs inside filthy crates aboard a truck last week at the Southwest Miami-Dade home of Maria Crespo and her mother Teresa Horta-Barrial, who both tried to run when discovered.

They also found that the home had no electricity or water, according to CBS Miami, and that the women were in denial of the neglectful living conditions of the dogs.

“They are not without food, they were not without water, not without love, because all of them had love," Crespo said.

But investigators say the dogs were crammed together in cages that were too small and forced to stand in one to two inches of their own feces.

"Animals in this condition that they were, and the way they were caring for, it's just overwhelming for anybody," Miami-Dade Animal Services representative Luis Salgado told Local 10. "Every cage that we saw that was there had at least three inches of dried fecal matter."

One puppy had been sitting in his own feces and urine for so long that his coat is still stained.

Many of the dogs have already been rescued, but several of them still remain under the care of rescue organizations and are in need of a loving home. Those interested in adopting one of the pups should contact the Humane Society of Greater Miami or the Humane Society of The Palm Beaches.

(Huffington Post - Sept 19, 2013)