The Milwaukee police lieutenant leading the investigation into last week’s discovery of more than 250 reptiles found living in squalid conditions said Wednesday that the animals are being kept in safe locations and are receiving proper care.
The man who was responsible for the animals, Terry Cullen, said in an interview Tuesday that he had been told most of the animals are being kept in unheated city garages. He said cold weather can harm the animals.
“To me, the utter cruelty is beyond belief,” Cullen said of the treatment of the animals since they were discovered.
“It’s a patent lie,” police Lt. Paul Felician said of Cullen’s comments. “It’s not true. (The animals) are in much better condition than they were when we (found) them.”
Most of the animals, ranging from boa constrictors and anacondas to alligators and crocodiles, were found last week in a house in the 3400 block of S. 17th St. and a building at 2323 S. 13th St.
Hundreds of mice and rats blanketed the basement floor of the building, where more than 200 of the animals were kept, according to a police report released last week.
Most of the animals were kept in tanks or horse troughs, according to police and others who were inside the building. Many animals were unable to turn around because the containers in which they were kept were too small and filled with waste, according to an arrest report released last week.
“Dead animal carcasses were in close proximity to live animals, and animal waste was observed throughout the residence,” according to the report. Mold and fungus were growing “on a vast majority of the animals,” the report says.
Felician said all the animals have been cleaned and have been well-fed since they were removed from the house and building. Reptile experts from area zoos and other institutions have examined all the animals, he said.
No animals have died since they were removed, and the animals that were in the worst shape are beginning to improve, Felician said. Authorities hope to find safe, permanent homes for the animals, he said.
“We want to make sure that they go to places that can appropriately care for them,” Felician said.
Police have not said where the animals are being kept because they consider the animals to be evidence. However, three crocodiles and an alligator snapping turtle are being housed temporarily at the Racine Zoo.
The building on S. 13th St. where most of the animals were found is listed in tax records as the location of a nonprofit organization called Cullen Vivarium Wildlife Conservancy Inc.
Cullen is listed in the tax records as the organization’s president and director. His girlfriend, Jane E. Flint, is listed as the organization’s secretary and treasurer.
Flint, 50, was arrested May 12 on suspicion of mistreating animals and violating regulations regarding endangered or threatened species. She was released Friday from the Milwaukee County Jail after posting $15,000 bail, according to jail records. She has not been charged.
Cullen has not been arrested. He said in an interview Tuesday that he is in the Milwaukee area, but police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said investigators do not know where Cullen is.
Cullen has not contacted police, Schwartz said.
Prosecutors could begin reviewing the case later this week, Milwaukee County Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern said.
The case began last week when officers investigating a sexual assault complaint found the reptiles at the house on S. 17th St., which is owned by Flint, and the building on S. 13th St.
Officers shot and killed two dogs while executing a search warrant at one of the addresses, Schwartz said.
Police haven’t identified the target of the sexual assault investigation.
The investigation into the reptiles spread to a third location Monday, when police found the carcasses of an alligator and a snake in a house in the 3300 block of S. Kinnickinnic Ave. that is listed in court records as Cullen’s residence.
Search warrants executed during the investigation have been sealed.
Cullen said Tuesday that he has devoted his life to animal conservation. He has kept reptiles for years, has spoken at conventions for people who keep reptiles and has consulted with several local agencies that work with reptiles, including the Wisconsin Humane Society.