WAWARSING – Last Friday, Victor Caniglia, a 50-year-old resident of Foordmore Road was arrested by the Ulster County SPCA and charged with 83 counts of failure to provide proper food and drink to an impounded animal. Acting on a tip from a member of the community, the not-for-profit organization confiscated all of the birds, which ranged in species from budgies to macaws, and even included wild and exotic birds including a cardinal and a titmouse. The SPCA also confiscated three rabbits out of 17, which, according to the organization's executive director, Brian Shapiro, were possibly being raised for food.

"This was a very small shed with a single space-heater," said Shapiro of the ten-foot by ten-foot structure in which the animals were kept. As can be seen in the photos taken at the time of the arrest, the birds were kept in deplorable conditions, with cages crusted with waste and seed.

Regarding the titmouse and the cardinal, Shapiro said that their captivity alone is worthy of concern: "It's against the law to have these wild animals in cages, and it's cruel as well," he said.

As for the three rabbits, Shapiro said that they seemed to have signs of infection and were not doing well physically.

"I think it's a typical hoarder situation. He claims to really love these birds, but they were kept in unhealthy and overcrowded conditions," said Shapiro. "It's really not far of a jump from someone who clutters their apartment with stacks of newspapers and memorabilia, to someone who does the same thing with living creatures. Many of them will say 'I love them.' It doesn't help the safety and welfare of the animals. I'm sure people who abuse children or a spouse, they say they love their family, but at the same time they're hurting them. I would definitely make the correlation between the two."

Currently, the birds are at the SPCA's shelter, with a room that is usually labeled as the second cat room now dubbed 'the aviary.'

"Now and then we'll have birds here, but not like this," said Shapiro. The last time there were even close to this many birds at the shelter, he explained, was when the organization closed down Ellenville's Fins and Feathers pet store in October 2007 for poor conditions.

According to Shapiro, the Department of Environmental Conservation is also considering filing charges against Caniglia because the exotic birds did not have the proper bands on their legs, a requirement under state agriculture and markets laws.

For the time being, the birds must stay with the SPCA, as they are evidence against Caniglia. When and if a judge rules that the preponderance of evidence indicates that animal cruelty or neglect took place, the birds will be available for adoption to the public. While the birds are in very good hands with the organization, the situation is far from ideal.

"I hope it [the court case] doesn't go on too long, because this is really straining our resources," said Shapiro. "I hope the court will see the conundrum that we're in, in that we have nearly a hundred birds here that need care, and we are not really equipped to maintain that for an extended period of time."

Fortunately, it seems as though the news of the birds' mistreatment has brought out the best in animal lovers across the region.

"What's been very nice is we've had a lot of volunteers from the public who've come in, who have knowledge of birds and have been assisting with the care of these birds," Shapiro said. In fact, while interviewing for this article, a citizen came into the shelter to drop off seed for the wild birds that were rescued.

"We are seeking donations from the public to help us," he continued. "We're a small, not-for-profit entity, and this is really stretching our resources, so if the public could step forward and assist, we'd be very humbled and pleased."

The Ulster County SPCA is located at 20 Wiedy Road, Kingston, NY, and can be reached at 845-331-5377, or online at ucspca.org.