Published: July 12, 2006 04:36 am      

SPCA raids West Ave. pet store

A complaint about some illegal, exotic reptiles spurred an all-day raid of Pets Plus on West Avenue.

Members of the Erie County SPCA animal rescue team and animal security investigators searched through the store Tuesday, looking for signs of animal cruelty and illegal animals.

The SPCA got a call from the Department of Environmental Conservation over the weekend, said SPCA spokeswoman Gina Browning

“The initial complaint was that there were illegal animals held here, exotics,” Browning said. “The DEC arrived on the scene this weekend and raised concerns about animal cruelty issues.”

She said the store was told to clean up its act. Meanwhile, a search warrant was obtained with the help of Judge Peter L. Broderick Sr. and First Assistant District Attorney Timothy R. Lundquist.

Inside, investigators found some illegal pets and poor conditions. A number of large constrictors and monitors were discovered in the search, said Joel Thomas, the Erie County SPCA’s wildlife administrator. Some of these animals were illegal to possess in New York.

“There were more animals there than I have ever seen,” Thomas said. “Some animals were not in healthy conditions. They had chronic and life-threatening diseases.”

SPCA officials estimated the total animal count at between 5,000 to 8,000, including reptiles and amphibians that were being bred on the second floor. Not all of the animals were deemed sick or neglected by veterinarians sent over from the Buffalo Zoo.

Thomas said some of the cages were dirty and littered with feces. Some animals had not been fed or had their cages cleaned, information backed up by the store’s own cleaning logs for each animal.

Some of the most serious cases were seized Tuesday by the SPCA for immediate treatment. Among the transported animals, there were three crested geckos, a vine python, an Argus monitor with a serious infection and a dehydrated chameleon.

Other animals who the SPCA deemed important to the investigation received red tags on their cages. Browning said one of the frogs was so sick that it could barely move. It is not clear if the animal survived.

Thomas said the most sickly and dangerous patient is a large crocodile monitor, who has a large mass on its left front leg and has been deemed septic. The 8-foot reptile, whose tail and sharp teeth and claws can cause serious injury to humans, lives in its own room. Caretakers will have to remove the animal carefully so it can undergo surgery this week.

Animal cruelty at pet stores is nothing new for Thomas, but Pets Plus was another situation.

“I have seen bad pet store cases before, but not with this many animals,” Thomas said.

Store co-owner Fred Kick said the complaints were brought forth by a former clerk.

“We have a disgruntled employee who stole from us and was fired last week,” Kick said. “We don’t have any problems.”

Kick said the accusations about illegal pets came from a paperwork mix-up. In order to comply with a change in the law regarding certain animals, Kick said the store had to put in an application to the DEC last year for some of its snakes and lizards. The store, which had been selling the creatures for 10 years, was supposed to be exempt from the law, he said.

To date, Kick said he has not received word back from the application he submitted. He said the most recent DEC store evaluation deemed Pets Plus “satisfactory.”

Kick is planning to press charges against the employee, who was accused of stealing items and pets and reselling them.

The complaints made to the DEC will live on for now. A DEC representative said the agency had nothing to do with the raid, but may play a part in the upcoming investigation.

“If information is brought forward involving substantive charges, we will look into it further,” spokesman Megan Gollwitzer said.

SPCA officials said no charges have been raised against the store yet.

No business was done during the raid; customers looking for pet food and dog tags were turned away.

If the store is to be shut down, it would be at the behest of the USDA. Browning said the agency has not yet made that determination. SPCA Investigators are expected to return to the store to continue screening and seizing animals.

But in the meantime, Kick said, it will be “business as usual” at Pets Plus.

Contact Tasha Kates at 439-9222, Ext. 6241.