NBC New York’s Melissa Colorado reports.
A Long Island man allegedly hoarded 100 animals, some of which were exotic and even endangered, in his basement and backyard, according to investigators — who said he wasn't shy about showing them off to make some quick cash.
As part of the stunning find in the North Bellmore home of 32-year-old Matthew Spohrer, the Nassau County SPCA confiscated a young South American ostrich, otherwise known as a rhea, named Eddie.
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How did Eddie end up at the home? Ebay, apparently.
"He actually said that he ordered the rhea on Ebay as an egg when he was drunk. This was a stupid mistake," said John Di Leonardo, an anthrozoologist and the executive director of Humane Long Island. "[Spohrer's] been seen and photographed numerous times with this rhea in public, taking it to the fair, train stations, pet stores."
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A tip led authorities to the family home on Tuesday, where the exotic animals were allegedly found packed in cages. A flock of ducks, quails and chickens were allegedly kept next to reptiles, including an endangered tiger salamander and a variety of lizards, snakes and turtles. Di Leonardo allegedly planned to feed the quails to the reptiles.
"Baby quails certainly don’t belong housed right next to lizards and snakes causing them extreme stress," Di Leonardo said.
According to Humane Long Island, people spotted Spohrer and his illegal menagerie at the annual Bellmore Family Street Festival.
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"He was charging people to go into a tent to see these animals and pet some of them," said Di Leonardo.
Spohrer was hit with 30 violations and fined thousands of dollars by the SPCA, which confiscated all of the animals. A giant African snail, a North American opossum, a tortoise, two prairie dogs and large monitor lizards were among the animals taken away, along with dozens of chickens, domestic ducks and geese.
"I think that this is what happens when people don’t speak up. it ends up being a hoarding situation," Di Leonardo said. "Hoarding giant birds, prairie dogs, and endangered species in a cramped basement or backyard shed is cruel, and keeping them in cages next to their natural predators can cause them extreme stress. Simply speaking, wild animals are not pets."
All will be heading to sanctuaries, including Eddie the rhea, which will grow to be three feet tall with six-inch talons.
