A Long Island couple was charged with cruelty to animals after a combination of more than 200 cats, dogs, roosters, squirrels, ducks, rabbits, geese, ferrets and other animals were rescued from “extremely hazardous” conditions at a Northport home.
Authorities also assisted a 95-year-old woman “confined by debris” on the second floor of the residence, which Suffolk County prosecutors described Thursday as being infested with bugs and covered in “piles of waste and filth.”
Suffolk County DA
Over 200 animals, inclluding roosters, rabbits, geese, flying squirrels, chinchillas and other creatures were found in the home. (Suffolk County DA)
Following a complaint of potential animal hoarding and a subsequent search of the home, Samantha Boyd, 57, was arrested Wednesday and charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty and endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person.
Boyd is currently certified by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as a wildlife rehabilitator, prosecutors said.
Boyd’s partner, 61-year-old Neal Weschler, was also charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty.
“This was a deeply distressing situation, but thanks to the swift action and collaboration between our office and the dedicated rescue partners, these animals are now safe and receiving the care that they urgently need,” District Attorney Raymond Tierney said.
The rescue effort was led by the Suffolk County Police Department and the District Attorney’s Biological, Environmental and Animal Safety Team (BEAST).
John Di Leonardo, anthrozoologist and executive director of Humane Long Island, said his organization was proud to have worked with the BEAST unit to shutter Boyd’s “fraudulent rescue” operation. Humane Long Island plans to provide the rescued animals with veterinary care to treat ailments including bone and staph infections.
