Empty food and water bowls, and crowded cages.
This was the scene this morning at the Corpus Christi Trade Center as Animal Care Services officers took photos and documented what they call deplorable living conditions.
Pets and More Plus sells birds, lizards, rabbits and hedgehogs at this location.
“This stemmed from a bunch of complaints that Animal Care Services received in reference to some animals being overcrowded,” said Lt. Michael Pena of the Corpus Christi Police Department.
One complaint even mentioned a *dead rabbit in a cage.
ACS officers said when they arrived Friday morning, the rabbits they found had no food or water.
KRIS 6 news witnessed two rabbits sitting in a cage sitting next to a bowl. There was no food and water in the bowl: It instead contained urine.
The director of Animal Care Services said this investigation has been underway a while, and officers have visited the pet store multiple times and ordered the store owner to find more space for the animals and care for them more diligently.
Animal Care Services said he did not comply, resulting in Friday's seizure of dozens of animals.
“Following (the seizure) they will do an investigation and determine whether there's enough for criminal charges,” Pena said.
When told his animals were being taken from him, the store owner's first question was: "So I'm going to have no animals to do business with this weekend?"
