Dead sugar gliders, ferrets, bearded dragon among menagerie seized from Pullman apartment
Pullman Police Department code enforcement officers who were checking on reports of animal cruelty found nearly two dozen live and dead animals inside an apartment.
On March 16, officers were called to The Ruckus Student Living apartments at 1920 Northeast Terre View Drive, after receiving reports of dead animals and unsanitary conditions inside a unit there.
After obtaining a search warrant, officers found two dogs, two cats, two hedgehogs, one tortoise, one bearded dragon and one leopard gecko.
Officers also found 13 dead animals inside the unit: one dog, four sugar gliders, three ferrets, one rat, one mouse, one bearded dragon, one gecko and one ball python.
The live animals and carcasses were removed from the apartment. The live animals were immediately taken to the Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital to be evaluated and treated. Many of the animals were dehydrated and in poor overall health, according to a news release from Pullman police.
Some animals remain at WSU while their conditions stabilize, while others were transferred to the Whitman County Humane Society for individualized care.
Police said that after more than 300 hours of intense investigation, charges have been forwarded to the Whitman County Prosecutor’s Office. Pullman police recommended multiple felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty charges be filed against two suspects, ages 20 and 21.
The surviving animals are continuing to recover and will be available for adoption through the Whitman County Humane Society once their health has improved.
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