Animal compulsive hoarding is always a serious problem because the animals can be badly affected by the hoarding. London because of its dense population has seen many cases of animal hoarding recently, but these have mostly involved the hoarding of pets such as dogs and cats.
However, two recent hoarding cases in the USA have revealed that it is not only typical pets which get hoarded.
In Louisiana a man was recently arrested for hoarding about 100 snakes in his property. He was sentenced to two years in jail and received a $1,000 fine, but if he pays the fine it will be reduced to one year in jail.
The home was searched when officials received a tipoff about illegal animal trading, and he pleaded guilty to charges of animal cruelty. It is not certain whether he was a trafficker or a hoarder, although it is thought that the snakes were being sold online.
In another case in Southern California, 1,500 rats were rescued from a property after being featured on the programme ‘Hoarders’ on the A&E Network. Some of them were then taken to Foothill College where the instructor of the veterinary technology programme, Sandy Gregory, set up a neutering operation for them. The rats are now being adopted from a local pet shop.
Such cases show that in some cases animals can be hoarded which are not the types of animals we would normally associate with hoarding. In fact, virtually any type of animal can be hoarded, and although dogs and cats may be more common, snakes, rats and other creatures can also find their way into a hoarder’s collection.
We provide house clearances for properties affected by compulsive hoarding in London and around the UK. If your property needs a heavy-duty clearance, call Jeffrey Avery for confidential advice on 0800 567 7769
