Multiple animals were rescued from a box truck allegedly abandoned by a Florida sideshow operator, authorities said.
The New Smyrna Beach Police Department said officers responded on Oct. 6 to a report of a disabled and abandoned box truck in the area of 3463 State Road 44. When they arrived, officers hears “what sounded like an individual yelling from the enclosed cargo area.”
That individual turned out to be an animal, one of several officers found inside when they opened the rear of the truck. Two chickens, three rats, two tortoises, and two boa constrictors were found in cages and containers inside the truck, which was not climate controlled and had no ventilation.
One of the rats was found deceased. Officers noted several of the animals lacked adequate food or water, and the snakes did not have appropriate lighting or heating…