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Westminster, SC reptiles abandoned
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by wls967 on February 26, 2011
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If anyone has already published this, sorry for the double post.
WESTMINSTER — When S. Nigel Platt walked into a darkened, abandoned store in Westminster one evening last November, it was filled with things that rattled and went “hissss!” in the night. Rattlesnakes and some cobras, among other things that slithered. But that wasn’t what appalled him.
“In all my 40-odd years of dealing with animals I’ve never seen animals left in such a deplorable condition,” said Platt, a British herpetologist and executive director of Safe Haven & Educational Adventures, a Greenville-based animal-rescue group.
The over 60 reptiles found alive in the building included boa constrictors, rat snakes, copperheads, timber rattlers, eastern diamondback rattlers, two Horsfield tortoises, one false water cobra, one albino monocle cobra, a caiman and an alligator.
The snakes were in aquarium tanks and the others were in assorted holding tanks and all had been left for an undetermined time without food or water — “The water bottles were bone dry,” said Platt — except for the alligator and caiman, which were left in water so filthy Platt took extra precautions during the rescue to avoid getting splashed.
“It was bacteria soup,” he described the water. “Salmonella city.”
Platt had been called in by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, who had been called in by the Westminster Police Department.
The police department had been contacted by the building’s owner, a Westminster businessman, who had rented it some months before.
All that was in November, with rescue taking place Nov. 12. The reptiles’ owner had not had the power to the building connected, so the first explorations were in the dark, with only flashlights.
“Imagine being in the dark and hearing the rattles,” Platt said. “If we couldn’t see a snake in a case, we didn’t open it. We waited until it got light.”
The whole incident was kept low key until the case against the reptiles’ owner was adjudicated in Summary Court, according to Henry Barnett, with the law enforcement division of the natural resources department.
But, say Platt and officials, thereby hangs another part of the tale.
Joel Terry La Rocque, 50, the owner of the menagerie, was charged with abandonment of animals and possession of an alligator without a license. His court date was set for Dec. 16 before Westminster Magistrate Will Derrick. He did not show up.
He faces a fine or 30 days in jail on each count, according to court records. State law prescribes a fine of from $200 to $500 or 30 days in jail or both for animal abandonment, and a fine of from $2,000 to $5,000 or up to a year in jail or both for illegal possession of an alligator.
La Rocque, who rented a house at 3247 Toccoa Highway, Westminster, had intended to open a reptile museum in Westminster, according to Platt. He had taken out a Westminster business license.
He also operated Specialized Venoms at a 1610 Blue Ridge Blvd., Seneca, address. Internet advertisements for the business describe it as supplying venoms for research and treatment uses.
La Rocque describes himself as having over 40 years of experience handling reptiles and having memberships in herpetological societies in the United States, Great Britain and Australia. A search showed him to have a large Internet presence on information and blog sites dealing with reptiles, especially snakes.
Platt takes a different view.
“He’s the kind of person who gives people in our business a bad name,” Platt said. “There are some real idiots out there and he was the chairman.”
La Rocque has moved out of his rented home and his Seneca business office is closed. The listed phone number has been disconnected. However, he did respond Thursday to a query about his case sent to an e-mail address listed on a website connected to Specialized Venoms.
In a long, rambling note he declared he had intended to shut down the business and had faced difficulties getting his collection out. He denied he had abandoned the animals because he had not been separated from them for 15 days as required by the letter of the law. He said the charge of abandonment was “a crock.”
He had a license for the alligator, he said, but it was packed in a box at the location and he was unable to retrieve it.
All he wanted to do, he said, was to acquaint the public more with the side of reptiles, so often feared or despised, that he saw.
“My animals allowed me to hold and doctor them when needed,” he wrote, “or simply when I noticed them in a sad mood (snakes do have facial expressions) and they repaid me with knowledge and a glimpse into their world.”
He declared he had no intention of returning. “I will never set foot in South Carolina again, especially the Upstate,” he wrote. His e-mail response was sent from a wireless Internet service connection in Cobb County, Ga.
Westminster Police Chief Scott Bannister said Friday that an arrest warrant will likely be issued for La Rocque.
Platt has concentrated on saving the malnourished and largely dehydrated reptiles.
“We’ve lost a few of them, but we’ve saved most of them,” he said.
“They’re not warm and fuzzy,” Platt said, “but no animals deserve to be treated as those were in Westminster.”
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RE: Westminster, SC reptiles abandoned
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by Cro on February 26, 2011
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Interesting post, and not surprising about La Rocque.
Best Regards
John Z
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RE: Westminster, SC reptiles abandoned
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by Cro on March 8, 2011
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Chris,
He has been on this site for a number of years, as "atrox56"
He also is a regular visitor at low quality SC and GA reptile shows.
There are a few folks that I know of who claim they were cheated by him on reptile deals.
Best Regards
John Z
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RE: Westminster, SC reptiles abandoned
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by atwageman on April 25, 2011
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If the guy was going thru some sort of hardship, he should have reached out to the reptile community to see if some us in the reptile community could take some of the animals off his hands. Most likely pride clouded his judgment. Just sad.......
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RE: Westminster, SC reptiles abandoned
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by Cro on April 25, 2011
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Actually, the multiple venomous snakebites over the years might have clouded his judgement even more.
You can find a lot about him with a Google search.
Best Regards
John Z
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