The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Captive Wildlife Investigations was notified in November 2023 that a large number of abandoned reptiles had been discovered in a storage facility in Osceola County.
After nonpayment, the storage firm secured the unit, and when staff members got it ready for auction, they found its contents. There were 111 African fat-tailed geckos in the storage facility, each in its own container. Forty-one of them died from negligence. There was no food or water in any of the dirty containers. It was concluded that no one had visited the storage facility for more than two months based on the reptiles’ conditions and the employees’ testimonies.
After conducting a comprehensive investigation, FWC investigators determined that the suspect was 48-year-old Kelvin E. Soto, a previous owner of an expired license to display and sell reptiles. On allegations of felony animal cruelty and confinement of animals without food or water, a warrant was issued for his arrest. Later, Soto was found in Virginia, taken into custody by local police, and sent to Florida to face charges.
According to FWC Captive Wildlife Section Leader Maj. John Wilke, this case is a compelling illustration of the job our Captive Wildlife Investigators conduct on a daily basis. Their commitment, diligence, and perseverance made sure that those responsible for the abuse of these animals were held accountable and that the survivors received justice.
In a plea bargain signed on August 14, Soto admitted to felony animal cruelty (with adjudication withheld on the second allegation). 100 hours of community service, four years of supervised probation, a ban on owning or interacting with animals, the forfeiture of the remaining geckos, and more than $5,000 in reparations to the facility that housed the surviving reptiles during the nearly two-year prosecution are all part of his sentence.
By calling the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922) or sending a tip online at MyFWC.com/WildlifeAlert, the public can report wildlife violations, which the FWC takes very seriously.
