Police in Itabashi, Tokyo, have sent papers to the prosecutors on a 54-year-old man who was caught throwing away his pets in a public space in a bid to get rid of them.
The man is accused of disposing of a hedgehog and 11 turtles—all still alive—in a vacant lot in Itabashi Ward on Jan 12, police said. The turtles were in a glass aquarium, Sankei Shimbun reported.
The man was quoted by police as saying that he needed to get rid of the pets, because he wasn’t allowed to keep animals in his apartment. His landlord had recently given him an ultimatum to remove the pets, threatening him that if he did not obey to the regulations, he would be asked to vacant the apartment.
The man told police that he thought leaving the pets outdoors would cause them to die from starvation or cold.
The man also told police that he had been breeding a total of 80 pets, including squirrels and lizards, all of which, police believe, may have been abandoned in a similar way since last November.
Police said the man has been charged with violating Japan’s animal cruelty law.
Source: Japan Today Video and image: ANN
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