A PETA member working undercover for months led the march that ended with a raid on a North Texas exotic animal wholesaler.
Rescuers seized at least 20,000 animals from U.S. Global Exotics.
An affidavit revealed US Fish and Wildlife Department seized documents and computers six days before Tuesday's raid.
News 8 talked with a friend of the owners who said she cannot believe they are in the news, once again.
"I don't believe that they intentionally harmed these animals and let them go like they did," the friend said.
The PETA member claims he saw countless cruel acts, including the death of 67 reptiles that died from illnesses, cruel confinement and a lack of food. Ten pythons allegedly died, crushed under the weight of other snakes. The report also indicated hamsters were cannibalized, eaten by others because of a lack of food
While the friend didn't want her identify to be revealed, she said Jasen Shaw, the owner of the business, has been investigated before.
News 8 had previously interviewed him about the prairie dogs he exported. The animals were examined by federal investigators for possibly spreading the Monkeypox virus, causing several people to get painful blisters back in 2003. Shaw denied his animals were the culprit.
"Everything is healthy and the animals have been fine," he said in the 2003 report.
Shaw has not returned News 8 phone calls to respond to the new allegations over the sick animals, which the SPCA and Humane Society rescued.
There were only up to eight workers caring for the thousands of animals. The friend the said the owners had a problem keeping workers.
"They just couldn't keep a good staff, for whatever reason," she said.
One worker said he took on enough work for three people and admitted to extreme understaffing and no expertise with exotic animals.
"I try not to judge them, but I can't believe that this got out of hand," the friend said. "It is a catastrophe. It is horrible."
E-mail ddenmon@wfaa.com
