To EricP...

[reb_granger]

Hi Eric,

You mentioned in your post under the PeTA thread that you've rescued animals. Have you rescued *farm* animals by any chance?

Thanks and sorry if I'm being nosy. :D

[EricP]

Hello reb_granger,

Thanks for asking about my "pets"....

At my home I have 9 animals in total. One of them is a rescued male Rottweiler we saved over two years ago. I also rescued several reptiles from death and abuse from local animal shops (My family was actually threatened when I made complaints about a particular store that we rescued a Green Iguana from).

I don't live in a large house, so at the moment I'm up to my knees in animal cages, etc. My wife and I would love to rescue farm animals... maybe when we find a bigger place to live ;)

At the moment the only thing we can do is support animal rescue groups to help save the animals. For birthdays (or Christmas) we usually ask family to make a donation to rescue a dog or cat instead of giving us gifts.

Regards,

EricP

[reb_granger]

Eric, your pets appear to be really exotic! How exactly was your family threatened when you rescued the Green Iguana? I appalled that there are stores which actually sell iguanas. I'm completely against the breeding of animals for sale, and the activity becomes all the more repugnant when the poor animals are kept in terrible conditions.

I rescued two chicks last year from a man who was breeding chickens for goodness-knows-what. You won't believe it - I was too scared to ask him exactly what he wanted to do with them. I guess I just didn't want to hear that they would be killed and eaten eventually.

Well, those two chicks that I rescued became my darling babies. :D I rescued Snowflake first. She followed me around everywhere, complained loudly if she didn't get attention, and loved being stroked and cuddled. Two months later I rescued Dragonfly, and history repeated itself! :) They're both full-fledged chickens now, but they still behave like babies.

Sometimes, though, when I look at my chickens, I think of their brothers and sisters, who must already have been killed. It's really a very painful thought - innocent animals slaughtered by the person they trusted most. I'm glad I could save these two little chickens from a horrible fate.

I was pretty curious to know if you had rescued any farm animals, because I was hoping you'll be having chickens, too! I simply love bragging about my chickens, as you must have noticed! ;)

Regards,
Rebecca

[EricP]

Rebecca,

I would love to rescue chickens!! They are one of my favorite "farm animals", but I don't have the space for them at my home :(

Here's the story of my rescued Green Iguana - Tank. A couple of years ago, my wife and I (along with a few close friends) visited a pet shop downtown. This pet shop was known for selling sick animals (especially reptiles), and I went there with the intention to check it out, and then call the SPCA. That is far from what happened!

We arrived at this "pet store" and I couldn't believe my eyes.

(Now, for those who don't know much about reptiles, they need heat to survive, since their body does not produce heat on its own, and it helps for digestion. They need ultraviolet light to get their vitamin D from. Their cages MUST be clean because they are very susceptible to bacterial infections. They should be parasite free before introducing them to a group. They need space; just like other animals... those are just the basics.)

I found crowded cages, much like the battery cages that hens live in; most of the animals did NOT have food or water in their cages; cages were over-crowded; some animals were skinny from parasites; very dirty cages; and much, much more.

In a very small, unlit cage, their laid a green Iguana. We found him in the dark, with no UV lights (or any lights for that matter), no food, no water, NO HEAT!!! I ripped open the cage and picked him up. He was so cold and sick that he was "stiff" when I picked him up. He physically could not move because of him inappropriate housing conditions. This Iguana was left in his cage to die, and nothing more. The pet store knew it, and didn't react.

I told one of the guys working there that I was taking him home... they actually wanted me to PAY for him :mad: which I didn't of course.

AT HOME: We brought tank home and set him up in a new home. It took him many hours to heat up enough to move. His first bowel movement was blood... not good. He was so skinny that you could see all his bones (this should never happen to a healthy Iguana). He had multiple burn marks along his body, which are still healing today. We had to have a vet remove a few inches off of his severely damaged tail because he was suffering from a very bad infection. He has "harness" marks on his back, which will never heal entirely. Tank is now recovered, but many physical signs still show of his abuse.

THE PET STORE: Ok here is what you wanted to hear. I caused quite a stir for this pet store after rescuing Tank. Every animal right group I know of was notified of the events of that day. The SPCA was called to investigate. I flooded reptile chat rooms with my story. I called for help from anyone I could think of.... and nothing changed. It turns out that the owner of the store reported ME to the SPCA stating that I had a lizard that was in need of medical attention (duh!), so the SPCA came to my home and treated me like I abused this poor boy. After proving that medical treatment was given to him after his rescue, the SPCA get me breathe. The SPCA also visited the store. Now this may sound completely mad, but the owner of this pet store has "friends" in many animal related groups that warned him of the impeding inspection, so what did he do? Cleaned up the entire store before they could come... not a single sign of neglect was found at that store when the SPCA arrived! (I understand that they have been reported to the SPCA many, many times with the same result... they are prepared every single time, and nothing is found to be wrong).

THE THREATS: The "nice" owner of this pet store had his lawyers call me to say that if I didn't stop telling people about his awful store IMMEDIATELY, that he would have me charged for Lible and Slander. Sooo, I stopped. I received many threats by email pertaining to my families’ safety. Email Virus' were also sent to my personal mail, and phone calls with no answer also started to appear. We were also told to give back Tank as he was considered "stolen property"

So after all we have done for Tank, he is still with me, but I cannot pursue this pet store and all its horrors anymore. One day, I will try again, but not right now. I have other stories of the other reptiles and dogs I care for, but they would be longer than this one.

Tank is a very special boy, and he now has the life he deserves (in a loving home).

I hope this explains a bit :D

EricP

[reb_granger]

Oh my God! Poor Tank! :( What a terrible life he must have led. I can't tell you how glad I am that you rescued the poor fellow.

What a despicable man that owner is. And to think that he actually receives advance notification before each inspection! Isn't it possible for someone to arrange for a 'surprise' raid - you know, to perhaps get just *one* person from the SPCA to accompany them and witness the atrocities inflicted on the helpless animals? If the owner is caught by surprise, he'll most likely be caught red-handed too.

Of course, I definitely wouldn't advise you to get involved just yet. That man sounds dangerous, and from what you've said, he seems to have some rather far-reaching connections. I assume you mean that he's got friends and informers within animal-welfare groups? Oh my goodness.

But why on earth does this shop sell sick animals? Who would want to *buy* the poor creatures?

[EricP]

From what I know about this guy, he has many well-connected friends in all animal-related groups. He was (or still is) the president of the largest Reptile organization in Canada. So you can see, he is very hard to take down.

His store is EXTREMELY popular within Toronto, so because of this many people don't care enough to fight him. Many of the animals he carries are wild-caught reptiles which bring in disease, and not to mention the methods in which they are caught are unimaginable.

It upsets me to know how many animals are living horrible lives because of him. Hopefully once our politicians get off their butts and look at new laws to protect animals, he will be taken down.

EricP

[reb_granger]

PRESIDENT of the largest reptile organization?! Good gracious!

Have you heard of Steve Irwin, the fellow who claims to rescue crocodiles? I believe he has created his own television series, which is broadcast on Animal Planet. He's been criticized for using the animals in order to build his own reputation. I must admit that I know very little about him, though.

[EricP]

Yes I know Steve, and I do believe that when he started with his television programs his intentions were good. Now, he is doing commercials for god knows who. He has his own movie, t-shirts, lunch boxes, toy dolls, etc. As far as I'm concerned, Steve is a sellout.

That is my opinion on it. His treatment of the animals on his show (snatching them snakes from trees to get a "close-up") is just like the circus exploiting their animals. He doesn't know the stress he had just caused every animal he has picked up or harassed.

Please don't get me wrong, his early rescue work was fantastic, and I did many animals good, but now I feel that dollar signs are all he is after.

EricP

[reb_granger]

Okay, that's what I've heard too.