Some people are voicing concern that several animals seized from the New Brunswick animal store -- located beneath the apartment where two young brothers were killed by a snake -- were unnecessarily euthanized by authorities.
Four American alligators – one of which was reported to be pregnant – and four snakes were euthanized as zoo employees seized animals Friday morning from Reptile Ocean, an exotic animal store located in Campbellton, N.B.
Magnetic Hill Zoo manager Bruce Dougan said the animals were killed because no accredited zoos were willing to take them in.
“We’ve been trying all this week, and we’ve tried this morning even up until now but have not been able to find suitable accommodations,” he told reporters Friday.
In all, 27 reptiles that were illegal to have in New Brunswick were removed from the building.
Former Reptile Ocean employee Marc Doiron told CTV News Channel that it was unnecessary to put down the animals.
"It's absolutely inappropriate. None of it was needed and especially in the way that they're doing it. There were facilities that would have taken these animals," he said, adding that he was in contact with a number of establishments that would have accepted the animals.
"It's a travesty. These seizures are not being done in a proper way at all."
Earlier Friday, crews were seen hauling the bodies of the alligators into a van and a flat-bed truck; the carcasses were covered in sheets.
Six crocodiles, tortoises and a number of lizards were among the exotic animals seized, with most destined for zoos in New Brunswick or Ontario, Dougan said.
The pools where the alligators were held also had to be drained.
Curators who drove in from Ontario to help out say only the illegal animals were taken.
“There are hundreds of animals that are staying in there that are completely harmless and there’s no reason to remove reptiles that are harmless to people,” said Bryn Loyst, of Indian River Reptile Zoo.
The seizure comes after the bodies of brothers Noah Barthe, 4, and Connor Barthe, 6, were found Monday in the apartment above the store.
The boys were killed while sleeping over at a friend’s house after an African rock python managed to escape its enclosure, enter the apartment's ventilation system and fall into the living room. Their friend's father, Jean-Claude Savoie, is the owner of Reptile Ocean.
A criminal investigation has been launched into the deaths.
Doiron also told News Channel he was working at Reptile Ocean in 2002 when the python was placed in the store after being seized from a private residence. At the time, the store was operating as a zoo.
He added that many reptile experts are "astonished" by the fact that the African rock python was able to escape its enclosure.
Meanwhile, Tim Thomas, a friend of Savoie's, said the owner of Reptile Ocean is devastated by the news that the alligators were killed.
"He's not taking it well. I spoke with him a while ago, and he just had to hang up," Thomas said, adding that the crews should have sought other options, as they well were aware the alligators were in the store before they began the seizure.
"When they were … here last night, they were saying 'We have a big job ahead of us, the alligators are big.' They knew that," he said. "Now why this morning did they come to the conclusion that they had to be put down?"
He said the deaths of the animals will be just another blow for Savoie.
"He's devastated, obviously. I mean, he loved those two kids and he's taking it really, really hard. This just adds to it."
Boys to be honoured at funeral
The mother of Noah and Connor said she is preparing herself for a long and difficult day tomorrow, when the boys will be buried together following a funeral service.
The service is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m. local time at the St. Thomas Aquinas Church.
Donations for the family can be made to the "Connor and Noah Memorial Trust Fund" at any TD Canada Trust Branch.
Environment Canada clarified this week how the store got the python, which has been banned in the province since 1992. Only accredited zoos with a permit are allowed to own the snake species.
According to Environment Canada, owning exotic pets falls under the jurisdiction of the provinces and municipalities. But the python in this case was already in Canada and therefore the owner of Reptile Ocean wasn't required to obtain a permit to take possession of it.
Earlier this week, Anne Bull, a spokesperson for the Natural Resources Department, said that the department didn't know that the African rock python was being kept in the apartment.
"In fact, we had no knowledge of the existence of this African rock python," Bull said in an email.
Jeff Corwin, a U.S. wildlife biologist and host of ABC show Ocean Mysteries, said caring for large pythons and other exotic animals requires “tremendous responsibility.”
Those who want to keep pythons as pets must abide by their local laws and standards of care for such reptiles, he told CTV News in an interview from Boston.
“A very large python, 99 per cent of the time, may not be dangerous, but there is that one per cent and you need to realize that the tools they have for taking down their prey…can be very, very dangerous,” Corwin said.
With files from CTV's Atlantic Bureau Chief Todd Battis and The Canadian Press
