-
Source: ONE News
A New Zealand man has been implicated in the largest seizure of
exotic animals in American history.
Authorities say Jasen Shaw, a New Zealander now based in the US,
was keeping reptiles, rodents and mammals in revolting conditions
at a warehouse in Arlington, Texas and the ones which survived were
traded around the world.
Shaw and his wife Vanessa are listed as co-owners of US Global
Exotics, a multi-million dollar a year business that trades live
animals as a pet wholesaler and court documents reveal Shaw is now
facing animal cruelty allegations.
The American SPCA is describing the living conditions of the animals - which also included wallabies, turtles and tarantulas - as severe cruelty.
Officials say the raid found starving snakes, hundreds of reptiles packed in shipping crates and rodents that had killed and eaten each other.
"What's been most troubling to see is what looked like hundreds of dead ignuanas. I stopped counting at 200 but there are animals lacking everything that is natural to them," says Arlington Animal Control's Jay Sabatucci.
The US has strict regulations about the keeping of any kind of pets but the tip off for the raid came from a veterinary technician working undercover for animal rights activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Texas Animal Control Affidavit's stated the following:
- Dozens of reptiles which starved to death.
- Around 5,000 turtles packed into cardboard boxes without food or
water.
- Snakes crushed to death by the weight of other snakes piled on
top of them.
- Two litre plastic bottles, filled with around 50 live frogs and
no water.
PETA say they had the animal warehouse under investigation for seven months before providing the tip-off for the raid.
