Exotic animals rescued from 'heartbreaking conditions' at Rio Verde farm
Exotic animals rescue: No arrests announced yet
Days after authorities seized dozens of animals, including a number of exotic ones, from a property in the Rio Verde foothills, there are still questions surrounding the case, including whether an arrest will be made. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean has more.
RIO VERDE, Ariz. - More than 50 exotic animals, including camels, peacocks, and a zebra, were rescued from a farm in Rio Verde, north of the Valley, after authorities responded to a report of animal cruelty.
Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan called the scene "heartbreaking."
"We got a call from a neighbor that there was no water, and they checked last night, there was no water. They checked this morning, there was no water," Sheriff Sheridan said. "So a deputy responded and came out and found that there was no water. [He] called the animal cruelty unit. They came out here, they assessed the physical conditions of some of the animals, and then they made a search warrant."
What we know:
The search warrant led to the confiscation of 25 horses, a zebra, two camels, peacocks, about 20 goats, a bull, and a cockatoo. Sheridan described the operation as the biggest one his department has ever done.
Volunteers and Rural Metro Fire Department crews assisted in the rescue. Rural Metro Fire brought a tanker truck and dispensed over 2,000 gallons of water to the animals.
"Rural fire saved the day for the animals because they brought out a tanker truck and dispensed over 2,000 gallons of water," Sheridan said. "That's how dry everything was out here."
Most of the animals have been moved from the property by Aug. 3, but two camels remain there. They were seen eating hay, and they also had water access.
The camels were still in the same area on Aug. 4.
What we don't know:
It remains unknown if an arrest will be made in connection with the incident.
What they're saying:
Sheridan said the animals had no water and little to no shade on a day when temperatures reached 114 degrees.
"Their animals are dependent upon them. And as I said earlier, there's no water out here. There's no shade for many of these animals," Sheridan said. "It was difficult for us, and we had water, and I couldn't imagine what it's been like the last few days with these animals with no water."
Sheridan also sent a message to other potential animal owners.
"There's a new sheriff in town, and the sheriff cares about the conditions people keep their animals."
What we don't know:
The name of the farm's owner has not been released.
Local perspective:
On Aug. 3, we spoke with a couple of area residents, and they said the property wasn't always like this.
"How did it get to this point," said Shaun Loring.
"It was actually almost hard to sleep last night," said Natalie Austin.
Exotic animals seized: Rio Verde residents react
Residents in a part of Rio Verde are speaking out, after officials with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office say 51 animals were found without water or food at a property in the area. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean has more.
Both Austin and Loring spent years visiting the ranch with their families.
"We kinda made friends with the zebras and the camels, and looked forward to bringing them carrots," said Austin. "It was just a fun, cool thing in the neighborhood."
"The ranch for us was always a place where we could take our grandkids or guests or visitors to go see the ostriches, the camels, the zebras. It was a lot of fun, it was a great experience," said Loring
Recently, however, something changed.
"A few weeks ago, we had noticed on one of our trips that it was hot and there wasn't much water there at that time, and that's when we had approached and talked about bringing some water if that was necessary, and then we did see a water tank on the back of a truck that was there, and they were supposedly gonna water the animals," said Loring.
The situation grew worse, and eventually another neighbor called in a welfare check on the animals. When MCSO showed up to the ranch, there was no water or food for any of the dozens of animals they found.
Both families say they won't jump to conclusions after years of good memories at the nearby ranch, and positive interactions with the owner.
"Someone could have really good intentions, but they can get in over their head," said Austin.
"Sometimes, people mean well, and it just doesn't go the way they wanted to, or things happen financially or circumstantially, and it just doesn't go right," said Loring.
What's next:
Detectives will now do the paperwork to determine what criminal charges to bring to the county attorney's office for prosecution.
"The next step is the detectives will do what they do best," Sheridan said. "Do the paperwork, determine what criminal charges we're going to bring to the county attorney's office for prosecution. And it's going to take a few days."
Regardless of how or why the conditions became how they did, the families say the biggest priority is advocating for the animals.