Couple charged in one of KC’s worst pet hoarding cases; dozens of animals adopted
A Kansas City couple was charged Thursday in municipal court with failing to adequately care for more than 260 animals that were seized earlier this week from their midtown duplex.
Mikabel Montero, 24, and Natasha Marie Acosta, 21, were charged with violations that also accused them of failing to keep the animals from unsanitary conditions and allowing an offensive odor to emanate from their apartment.
The animals were removed Monday from the two-bedroom duplex in the 4000 block of Wabash Avenue. It was one of the worst animal hoarding cases the city’s Neighborhood and Housing Services has investigated, the agency said.
On Monday, crews described the duplex’s conditions as “deplorable.” Neighbors complained of the stench. Montero said he and his girlfriend really cared for the animals and he kept them for “emotional support.”
Reached Thursday, Montero said he planned to fight at least one of the violations that accused him of not adequately providing water to his animals. He refilled the animals’ water two to three times each day, he said.
“I accept what I’m guilty for or anything that went wrong here,” Montero said, noting he was cleaning his apartment in the hopes of purchasing back some of his pets. “I just had too many.”
The KC Pet Project animal shelter took in 270 animals, nearly 220 of which were rats, from the duplex, said Tori Fugate, the shelter’s spokeswoman.
Dozens of the animals have already been adopted, placed into a foster care program or picked up by animal rescue groups such as Midwest Animal Resq.
At noon Thursday, as many as 16 rabbits were put up for adoption, Fugate said. On Facebook, the shelter said rats were available for adoption for $10 each and $5 for every one after that.
While the shelter has taken in dozens of animals from other rescues, including 100 cats from one home, the number of animals seized from the duplex was unprecedented.
“We’ve never seen anything like this,” Fugate said, describing the animals as much happier in the care of the shelter, whose members have been caring for them until midnight each day. “It was pretty awful to see them the way that they were at the house.”
Montero and Acosta are set to appear in court May 12.
