Are You A Criminal?

or

Santee Alley's Illegal Live Animal Trade

by

The Tracker,

for www.metropettracker.com
the dog & cat lost & found for Los Angeles County & City

There is no doubt that buying a good Prada counterfeit handbag for about as much as it costs to buy two packs of cigarettes is pretty enticing.  It does perk up an outfit.  That can be done in Santee Alley, a downtown resource in Los Angeles for stuff that can be bought on the cheap.  Of course, buying any counterfeit product is illegal, but at least it doesn't feel, move and need to be fed.  Unfortunately, Santee "Blood" Alley, as I vengefully call it, even sells things that do feel, move and need to be fed.  That is illegal too.  And lest we forget, the criminal is the one who buys these things as well as sells them.  Are you a criminal?

 

Perhaps you don't know that the sale of animals, both domestic and wild, must be licensed.  For many reasons, this is necessary.  Without licensing, the wholesale breeding of animals would lead to their suffering for profit.  Without licensing, there would be no control of animals taken from the wild to be sold and endangered.  Without licensing, we the public would have no recourse as consumers and concerned animal lovers.  

 

Santee Alley is a three block alley (east of Santee Street between Olympic Boulevard and 11th Street) in downtown Los Angeles.  It's a haven for illegal traders in animals sold for pets such as: turtles, iguanas, birds, puppies, bunnies and who knows what else.  They have had obvious success.  I am assuming this is being done with the approval of the shop owners as the animal trade is done in full sight, in the glare of the sun, in front of any of these shops or right down the center of the alley.  Below is a report I made and offer up to you as my experience of what I saw and what others have also seen.  For this to be allowed to go on in arrogant plain site disrespects us, disrespects the animal life it sells, disrespects The Los Angeles Department of Animal Services, disrespects the SPCALA and denigrates all the organizations in this town that allow this to continue.

 

Subject:  SANTEE "Blood" ALLEY

I have seen it with my own eyes and so has a friend's mother or any of my friends who have gone down there to spend little money and come home with armloads of handbags, T-shirts and wristwatches.  The SPCALA has seen it.  Many from rescue groups have seen it.  And yet, even with all that scrutiny and concern, the cruel trade by unharrased and arrogant traders in animals goes on, and on, and on.

 

I've seen baby turtles piled in plastic buckets dropped into little plastic containers with far too much water and no food and then piled and stacked - in the hottest of days - only to be sold to an uncertain fate for a few bucks or whatever the traffic would allow.  I've seen a baby rabbit carried away in a small cage by a child who could barely walk himself.  I reported the incidents to the SPCALA and all I got was how little could be done and how much that they tried to do.  I reported it to rescue groups who passed me on to other rescue groups.     

 

The latest report I received was just yesterday.  A friend's mother on holiday was taken down to "Blood" Alley and saw a very young, obviously sick puppy being crudely handled and being "hawked" for $100.00.  She also saw birds, iguanas and, of course, the staple Santee Alley product, turtles being offered for sale.

 

In a city that can crow about how many rescue groups, animal activists, alliances and just concerned folks that occupy this place, one would think that some united yelling and shouting could be heard.  Why isn't there some coordinated pressure to shut these "merchants in agony" down, or better yet, to incarcerate them for their illegal trade?  Or better yet, shut down all of Santee Alley all together for allowing such trade?  Or perhaps we should just lie sleepless in our beds wondering what happened to that puppy, that rabbit, those birds, iguanas, and turtles?  Where is the action L.A.?

As of January, 2006, the Santee Alley illegal trade in animals is still going on. 

For photos, please continue to scroll down.

 (Photos above provided by American Tortoise Rescue.)