$90,000 or $9,000 You Decide

200 reptiles abandoned in Hesperia
Comments 8 | Recommend 11
“This is the absolutely the biggest reptile rescue I’ve ever done by far.” Joel Almquist, owner Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary.

BROOKE EDWARDS Staff Writer
February 6, 2008 - 3:34PM

HESPERIA — More than 200 reptiles worth an estimated $90,000 were found abandoned in a freezing, filthy room attached to a garage in Hesperia. Most were alive, though weak. Some had died from the cold or dehydration, including two gila monsters.

“This is absolutely the biggest reptile rescue I’ve ever done by far,” said Joel Almquist, owner of the non-profit Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Phelan.

Almquist took control of roughly 197 snakes and lizards. Hesperia Animal Control is holding 13 tortoises also found at the site.

Though the investigation by Hesperia Code Enforcement and Animal Control is still underway, Almquist suspects the reptiles may be the latest victims of the foreclosure epidemic sweeping across the High Desert.

“I’ve been getting a lot of calls like that lately,” he said.

Not long ago, a real estate agent called Almquist after finding six potbellied pigs abandoned at a foreclosed property. He took them in on his 9-acre lot and has since found homes for them all, minus one female named Sophie. Almquist said she moved herself to his neighbors’ yard, who gladly took her in. He guesses Sophie was tired of looking at the tigers that are also housed in his sanctuary.

The same thing happened with six sickly thoroughbred horses that a man brought by a few months back.

Almquist said the horses’ owner asked, “Do you want to use these for food for your tigers?”

He took the animals in, nursed them back to health and found them homes.

Almquist has also gotten calls from Norco Animal Control asking him to take an African Serval Cat, and Fish and Game about an alligator found in a foreclosed home in Fontana.

Each time, Almquist said, “I’m glad to do it, but I hope I don’t have to do it again.”

In this latest case, officers served a warrant last Wednesday to the abandoned reptile home, located in the 7000 block of Cottonwood, following a tip from a neighbor.

The neighbor told officers the resident had been gone for a month and a half, Almquist said. He believes it was much longer, describing the room as an absolute mess with spider webs and trash everywhere. There were tortoises lying all over the cold concrete floor of the house, which he said registered 30 degrees.

“It would take six months for it to look like that.”

Two gila monsters and a dozen or so snakes were dead when the officers arrived, including a 6-foot snake that Almquist estimates had been dead for four months.

Luckily, he said, the owner left during the cold season while the snakes were hibernating and can go for three or four months without food, or it might have been much worse.

Still, Almquist said that a few animals were so thin and sickly that it was more humane to put them down.

Around 75 of the rescues were corn snakes in every color imaginable, Almquist said. There were also Mexican black king snakes, California king snakes, bull snakes and one venomous coral snake, among others. The most valuable reptiles saved were four or so albino rosy boas worth $1,000 to $1,500 each.

Almquist said most of the animals are doing well now, though some still need special care. He said many had hundreds and hundreds of mites, which could kill them if not treated.

A few are still having shedding problems from the dehydration. Almquist said two of his reptile volunteers have put in 40 hours in the last few days, soaking the snakes in warm water and gently pulling their dry skin away.

Almquist hopes to keep a few of the snakes, including the rosy boas and two albino gopher snakes. He plans to use them for reptile talks he gives at local schools. He will try to find homes for the rest.

The owner of the reptiles faces several possible charges if found.

Under California law, abandoning a pet is a crime punishable by a fine of up to $500. The owner also needed a Fish and Game license to hold many of the reptiles he had. He could also face felony charges for collecting the gila monsters and coral snake, which are listed as endangered and protected in several states.

Link

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/alm..._reptiles.html

Its sickening either way but I would have to say it was $90,000. If they had Gilas which correct me if I'm wrong are going for around 1K give or take a couple hundred as babies, it probably wasn't just some low end collection of normal common species. Just my guess but I have no idea yet. I sure hope they find the owner(s) but with most people that neglect herps, I doubt they will face any real conciquences.

That large a collection~
the internet was almost surely a shopping or selling medium when they were building the collection. Anyone know who it was?

I do not know who this was, I am trying to think of anyone out in Hesperia, but I can't.

The police should be able to trace the owner of the collection by researching real estate records.
It is a shame that this is happening, but it is not only with reptiles but also with many, many dogs and cats that real estate agents are finding in the basements of abandoned houses.

They may be able to trace who left the animals, but the problem is finding that person. If they are willing to run out on both their mortgages and their animals, then most likely they do not want to be found and face any charges. In California, many of the home owners that are losing their homes are illegal aliens, in these cases, it would be difficult to find them.

As for this particular story, maybe they can be found.

I'd say over $9k but not $90k. Too bad we don't know for sure. He deserves a dart tossed into him for every penny of value of what he left to die.

Its sad that animals so highly prized when things are good are so poorly treated and no longer prized when things are bad. I wonder if anyone that leaves their animals behind to fend for themselves or die ever feel an ounce of guilt for it.

Since nothing has been in the new or on any site I frequent, maybe this guy just died or got arrested or something that actually prevented him from coming back.

I'd sure like to know who's they were though just to satisfy my curious nature.

HEY EVERYONE,
MY NAME IS JOEL ALMQUIST AND I'M THE ONE THAT TOOK IN ALL THE ANIMALS FROM THE HESPERIA HOUSE.I HAVE BEEN CATCHING ALOT OF CRAP BECAUSE WHAT WAS SHOWN ON TV.FIRST,WHEN I TOLD THE REPORTERS $90000, I WAS REFERRING TO WHAT SOMEONE WOULD HAVE TO SPEND TO BUY ALL THIS STUFF RETAIL.THERE WAS SEVERAL FREEDOM BREEDER RACKS, BOTH FOR RODENTS AND REPTILES(ABOUT 8 TOTAL) ALONG WITH OTHER RACK SYSTEMS THAT PROBABLY WERE CUSTOM BUILT(ABOUT 8 TOTAL).THEN WE HAVE THE ANIMALS,85-90 HIGH END CORNS(IF THERE IS SUCH A THING),UNICOLOR ROSY'S,SNOW ROSY'S,ALL THE DIFFERENT BAJA ROSY'S,ALBINO NELSONS,HONDURANS,ALBINO GOPHERS,WESTERN HOGNOSE,ALBINO BULLS,MEXICAN BLACK KINGS,GRAY BANDS,AND A BUNCH MORE LEGAL STUFF.THEN WE HAVE THE THINGS THAT ARE NOT LEGAL OR THE QUANTITY WAS OVER THE LIMIT,CAL KINGS,CALIFORNIA ROSY'S,RETICULATED GILAS AND A ARIZONA CORAL.NOW,THE GUY THAT OWNS THIS HOUSE DID NOT GO INTO FORECLOSURE. HIS WIFE LEFT HIM AND HE LOST IT(MENTALLY).AS FOR THIS GUY HAVING ALL THESE ILLEGAL HOTS THAT IS NOT TRUE,HE ONLY HAD 4 GILAS(2 FOUND DEAD)AND 1 CORAL.THE ANIMALS SEEN ON THE NEWS(COBRAS,RATTLESNAKES,GABOONS AND WHATEVER ELSE ARE MY ANIMALS.



AGAIN I HOPE THIS CLEARS UP ALL THE RUMORS THAT ARE GOING AROUND THE INTERNET.

THANKS JOEL