New Foreclosure Victims In South Florida

September 19th, 2008 | Tags: Foreclosure Victims

The new foreclosure victims in South Florida are a motley lot – parrots, fat pigs, horses, snakes and even tarantulas. Foreclosures are increasing and so are incidents of pet surrenders. This time it is not just dogs and cats but also exotic animals.

Moogy the fat pig found himself deserted and alone in Tamarac when his owner lost his house to foreclosure. Storm the American Paint Horse had been rescued from the slaughterhouse. But now the owner succumbed to Fort Myers foreclosure and had to give up the 8 year old horse. Similar is the fate of birds and reptiles that had been kept as pets. Today they are foreclosure pets.

Bob Freer of Everglades Outpost near Florida reports that he finds many kinds of animals on the doorsteps of the shelter. Once it was a caged giant macaw and another time a monkey from Madagascar as well as a short hair kitten. In 2007 Freer was contacted by a landlord from Florida who complained that his tenants had left behind two snakes and a baby alligator. The latter had been confined in a small aquarium that hardly allowed the creature to move. Freer had to find homes for this motley collection.

Ron Magill of Miami Metro Zoo explained that when people have to move into small living quarters like apartments they keep small sized pets like parrots, snakes and even tarantulas. Foreclosures have been swallowing up all the spacious family houses with backyards. The animals suit the size but not the social milieu. When their owners realize that, they just forsake them. Horses too are being deserted by owners who have kept them for years.

Linda Spicer of Fort Myers says that even championship bloodline horses are being surrendered because the owners are affected by the foreclosure related crisis and cannot afford them. She gave up her beloved Storm because it required $500 per month to feed and care for him. The horse was like another kid in the family but she just could not manage. But what other alternative did she have except for letting Storm stand in the fields and starve? Jennifer Swanson has become the guardian angel for abandoned horses that are victims of the foreclosure related crisis. Swanson is the co-founder of Pure Thoughts that is engaged in rescuing horses. She recounted the incident of a woman having three children who surrendered a quarter horse that had been with her for quarter of a century because of foreclosure eviction.