Long Island Man Fined for Hoarding 100 Exotic Animals

Matthew Spohrer Faces Multiple Charges for Illegally Keeping Endangered Species in His Home

Matthew Spohrer, a resident of North Bellmore, Long Island, was fined thousands of dollars for illegally keeping around 100 animals, some of which were exotic or endangered, in his home.
Among the animals seized were a South American ostrich, a giant African snail, a North American opossum, a tortoise, two prairie dogs, and dozens of chickens, domestic ducks, and geese.
Spohrer is alleged to have kept the animals in cages in his basement and backyard, and was reportedly planning to feed the birds to reptiles, including an endangered tiger salamander and a variety of lizards, snakes, and turtles.
Spohrer was issued around a half dozen summonses for harbouring endangered species, along with local ordinance violations, by Nassau County SPCA who confiscated all of the animals.
Authorities began investigating Spohrer after he was seen taking the ostrich and other animals to public events like the annual Bellmore Family Street Festival in New York.