UK Press: Men guilty of iguana cruelty

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Posted by Wes von Papine�u on March 27, 2001 at 16:24:11:

WEST MIDLANDS EXPRESS & STAR (Wolverhampton, UK) 20 March 01 Men guilty of iguana cruelty
Two Dudley brothers have been banned from keeping animals for five years after one of their iguanas died of hypothermia.
Christopher Jordan, aged 26, of Booth Court, in Brierley Hill, admitted two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to two iguanas at Dudley Magistrates yesterday.
His brother Nicholas, age 18, of East Avenue, in Tividale, admitted permitting unnecessary suffering to two iguanas between April 1 and 16 last year.
Mr Nicholas Sutton, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said an officer had gone round to Christopher's house where the South American iguanas were kept.
"There was no one in and he saw through the window that the smaller one was lying on his back with his legs in the air and the older one was stationary on the sofa," he added.
The officer gained entry to the house and found that there was no heating on, there was a fire but it wasn't on, there was no water and the food was in a decayed state, he added.
"They had a vivarium but the door was open and a bulb that was supposed to provide some heat was off."
Mr Sutton said RSPCA vets tried to revive the iguana with heat pads but he died from hypothermia and if the larger one had been left any longer he would probably have died.
Mr Christopher Marshall, a vet who specialises in reptiles, said iguanas needed temperatures of between 84 and 86 degrees fahrenheit and should only be taken out of the vivarium for a maximum of two hours.
"It's not rocket science we're dealing with here these are cold blooded animals here who need heat," said Mr Sutton.
Miss Lynda Gudgeon, defending, said the brothers had taken advice from the pet shop and read books on how to look after iguanas.
"The little iguana had been residing with Christopher for four years and was an extremely healthy pet,
"There was no intention on the part of these lads to cause unnecessary suffering.
"The basis of this suffering was the time when then bulb broke which neither of the brothers could have known about."
Christopher was fined �300 and ordered to pay �300 costs and Nicholas was fined �150 and ordered to pay �200 costs.

Men guilty of iguana cruelty

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: WEST MIDLANDS EXPRESS & STAR (Wolverhampton, UK) 20 March 01 Men guilty of iguana cruelty : Two Dudley brothers have been banned from keeping animals for five years after one of their iguanas died of hypothermia. : Christopher Jordan, aged 26, of Booth Court, in Brierley Hill, admitted two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to two iguanas at Dudley Magistrates yesterday. : His brother Nicholas, age 18, of East Avenue, in Tividale, admitted permitting unnecessary suffering to two iguanas between April 1 and 16 last year. : Mr Nicholas Sutton, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said an officer had gone round to Christopher's house where the South American iguanas were kept. : "There was no one in and he saw through the window that the smaller one was lying on his back with his legs in the air and the older one was stationary on the sofa," he added. : The officer gained entry to the house and found that there was no heating on, there was a fire but it wasn't on, there was no water and the food was in a decayed state, he added. : "They had a vivarium but the door was open and a bulb that was supposed to provide some heat was off." : Mr Sutton said RSPCA vets tried to revive the iguana with heat pads but he died from hypothermia and if the larger one had been left any longer he would probably have died. : Mr Christopher Marshall, a vet who specialises in reptiles, said iguanas needed temperatures of between 84 and 86 degrees fahrenheit and should only be taken out of the vivarium for a maximum of two hours. : "It's not rocket science we're dealing with here these are cold blooded animals here who need heat," said Mr Sutton. : Miss Lynda Gudgeon, defending, said the brothers had taken advice from the pet shop and read books on how to look after iguanas. : "The little iguana had been residing with Christopher for four years and was an extremely healthy pet, : "There was no intention on the part of these lads to cause unnecessary suffering. : "The basis of this suffering was the time when then bulb broke which neither of the brothers could have known about." : Christopher was fined �300 and ordered to pay �300 costs and Nicholas was fined �150 and ordered to pay �200 costs. :

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