Gators, Crocs Found in ‘Rain Forest’ Home

LINDENHURST, N.Y. – A man whose home was a tangled mess of overgrown plants, uncaged reptiles and animal feces was arrested Tuesday on charges of animal cruelty, authorities said.

Animal protection agents said they found nine alligators, a crocodile, a python, two eels and a tortoise sitting in feces in the home along with lizards, iguanas, birds and fish and several emus outside in the backyard.

"It appeared to be like I was walking into a rain forest," agent Roy Gross said. "He had alligators stacked up. He had plants growing. It was tight to walk."

Steve Weinkseldaum was arrested by agents of the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at his home after they received a tip he was keeping wild animals there.

The charges for animal cruelty stem from the tortoise found in feces, Gross said, and it’s illegal to keep alligators and crocodiles in homes.

Weinkseldaum, who didn’t comment to reporters while being put into a police car, faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted.

Neighbors described Weinkseldaum as an animal lover who created a turtle farm in his front yard where children could visit and drop off unwanted animals.

The SPCA is a privately funded organization that provides education, shelter outreach and poison control programming and lobbies for animal welfare legislation. Its agents are officers of the peace, authorized to carry out warrants and carry firearms.