A North Bellmore man hoarded up to 100 exotic animals in his basement, according to animal advocacy group Humane Long Island.
An individual reported Matthew Spohrer, 31, to Humane Long Island after seeing the animals on display at the Bellmore Street Fair in the fall. Humane Long Island then issued a complaint with Nassau County SPCA, and a multi-organization takedown which included the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) was able to rescue the animals from the man.
The animals seized a included South American ostrich, otherwise known as a Rhea, endangered Tiger Salamander, Giant African Snail, North American opossum, two prairie dogs, and large monitor lizards.
According to John Di Leonardo, director of Humane Long Island, Spohrer was feeding the monitor lizards quail, and was keeping them close together in cages in his basement.
“It’s an extremely stressful situation for both the predator species and the prey species,” Di Leonardo told the Press. “But yeah, there were 100 Animals crammed into a basement and a shed. And again, most of them wild that no one has any business owning.”
Di Leonardo added that he likely obtained his animals online or at exotic pet shops, citing what he called “weak” laws in New York State. The animals were kept in small cages in his basement and shed.
“I think they do this because they want to be the next ‘Tiger King,'” Di Leonardo said. “And I think that we need to make it clear and clear to them that they you know, that Joe Exotic is not someone to be revered. He’s in prison for the next 20 years for attempted murder, he’s a bad guy. Not a folk hero.”
Humane Long Island took custody of the animals, and plans to relocate them to a sanctuary, Di Leonardo added.
Spohrer has been cited for up to 30 state and local violations.
