DAVIE, Fla. – A petting zoo owner was arrested and more than two dozen animals were removed from his Davie facility Monday night after they were found to be living in unsanitary conditions.
Animal Recovery Mission investigators and Davie police visited the farm off Southwest 39th Street 15 times in the last few weeks after an anonymous tip first led them to the animals in early June.
ARM worker Richard Cuoto said there had been some improvements, but the animals were still malnourished and many needed veterinary care.
"Many of the animals didn't have water," Cuoto said. "Some of the investigators were giving the animals water and the owners of the animals in the petting zoo threatened to shoot and kill my investigators."
Petting zoo owner Alvaro Ramirez, 70, insisted that he had been feeding his animals and providing them with proper care. He told Local 10 News that some of the horses looked skinny because they are old.
"I try to make a living," Ramirez said. "I'm not stealing. I'm working hard."
The animals seized include pigs, goats, ducks, chickens and horses.
As authorities removed the animals from the property, Ramirez had several outbursts. He was arrested and booked into the Broward County jail early Tuesday morning on charges of resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license.
"This is not a good guy, OK?" Cuoto said. "This is someone with a long, lengthy track record."
He said Ramirez does not have a license to operate a business.
Alvaro is being held in jail without bond for an open domestic violence case. He was also ordered held on a $1,500 bond for resisting arrest without violence and a $750 bond for driving with a suspended license.
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