72 Snakes Found In Apartment

A team from the city's Criminal Nuisance Abatement Unit has red-tagged the apartment where officials have found 72 live snakes, at last count.

Animal welfare officials said they spent Monday afternoon at the Las Kivas Apartments on Tramway Boulevard, where they seized several reptiles and numerous snakes -- most of them boa constrictors.

Tuesday, the Criminal Nuisance Abatement Unit continued its inspection of the property.

Pictures taken by the unit of inside the apartment show crowded conditions, with holes in the floors and walls.

Criminal Nuisance Abatement Unit members said the odor was significant as they entered the property.

"It was piled high, full of trash, feces," said unit member Vivian Gonzales..." More & video

Cat hoarder cited on more than 250 counts

By: Taryn Bianchin

On Tuesday, officials seized nearly 40 cats-- three of them dead-- from a northeast Albuquerque home after receiving preliminary reports the residence harbored almost 100 cats.

"Cats were coming out of the vents, cats were coming out of the couches, cats were coming out of the drawers, they were coming out of the cupboards, they were coming out of the closets," said TJ Wilham, a public safety spokesman.

The safe city strike force was called out to the house, near Eubank and Academy,and took dozens of cats from the home.

Last week, the city counted 65 cats inside the house, and came back on Tuesday to seize them. The owner, whose wife had recently died, told authorities his wife was trying to rescue the cats.

Compassion aside, homeowner Thomas Lavandoski, 48, was cited on more than 250 misdemeanor counts Wednesday morning stemming from the violation of the city's pet-hoarding ordinance.

City officials say they won't declare the house substandard yet, and are open to working with Lavandoski to make sure he cleans it up.

Lavandoski will be arraigned February 10th for the charges against him. Meanwhile, the cats will be kept in protective custody with animal services until the court case is resolved...More & video

Rescued dogs well on road to rehab

70 others euthanized

• Reporter: Michael Herzenberg
• Web Producer: Bill Diven

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - They survived what investigators call a death camp, and now the 20 dogs out of the 90 discovered in a horrific animal hoarding case are starting to thrive.

In early June Cibola County sheriff's deputies found a property filled with pain.

Forty miles west of Grants in Ramah last month they discovered starving dogs dying hourly and mass animal graves. Arlene Krippene, 73, called it the St. Francis Animal Refuge, but rescuers had to put down 70 dogs judged too sick to recover.

Animal Humane Association of New Mexico took in 10 of the dogs. Seven already have permanent homes.

Lily was the worst of the survivors. The pointer mix is now the poster child for the Attorney General's Animal Cruelty Task Force.

She's gained 17 pounds in three weeks, weighing in at almost 56 pounds this week.

Lily is learning how to live with people in foster care. Monica Garcia, her foster mom, said this is her first experience doing that..."  More & video