Date: Fri 11-Jun-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

DeFrancesco-zoo-Humane-Society

Full Text:

Animal Welfare Concerns Prompt Humane Society Inspection Of Local "Zoo"

(with photos)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

The fate of Susan DeFrancesco and her home zoo hung in the balance late last

week as the state's Humane Society stopped by for an inspection.

Gary Wilson of the Humane Society paid a visit to DeFrancesco property on

Osborne Hill Road Extension last Friday. He had been called to the site

following a series of conflicts between Mrs DeFrancesco and a myriad of state

agencies. He wanted to see if the animals were being cared for, and except for

some dirty cages, they appeared to be in good health, especially a pair of New

Guinea Singing Dogs. They are among about a dozen animals who live in a pen

along the side of the DeFrancesco property.

"I wanted to basically see if the animals were being given fresh water and

food and they are, but what happens there is out of my hands," Mr Wilson said.

The inspector declined to say what he wrote in his report. However, the poor

condition of the property, including the stagnant water in the basement and

the junk in the yard, did not go unnoticed by the inspector. There is still

the chance the animals could be removed, but the inspector said he would

rather not go that route.

"I want to help you rather than take this in the other direction," Mr Wilson

told Mrs DeFrancesco.

For now, at least, it looks like she will be able to keep her East Coast

Exotic Zoo. As a result, the mother of four may also be able to hold on to her

home.

With tears in her eyes, Mrs DeFrancesco insisted she has nothing but the best

intentions for her beloved animals. She said she created her tiny nature

center out of a love for animals. Many of the exotic animals on her property

were saved from fur farms where they would have otherwise been slaughtered for

their valuable coats. She cited personal problems, including a recent divorce,

as one reason why the site had the appearance of neglect.

"They're not in filth. They're in regular dog cages," said Mrs DeFrancesco in

tearful anticipation of having her federally-licensed rehabilitation zoo shut

down.

But as friend and veterinarian John Robb of the Robb Animal Care Clinic in New

Fairfield pointed out, the home looks more like a junk yard than a zoo. "The

home has never been in very good shape," noted Dr Robb. However, he said it

has gotten worse since Mrs DeFrancesco's divorce. He believes that is the

cause for so much attention from the state recently.

But Mrs DeFrancesco fears the state may be coming down on her zoo as a

reprisal for a handful of lawsuits she filed against the state last year. The

suits stem from run-ins she has had with the Department of Environmental

Protection, which found the zoo to be in violation of many codes required of a

bona fide zoo.

Mrs DeFranceso once had her own local access cable TV show that educated

viewers on the Earth's most threatened animals.

"The zoo's primary function is education," she said.

Lately, however, the zoo has also served as assurance that Mrs DeFrancesco and

her four children will be able to stay in their home. The zoo keeper says she

may have an easier time getting another mortgage as long as there are animals

on the premises. Her zoo is a business.

"If they're gone, then everything is gone," she said.

Dr Robb, who came to support Mrs DeFrancesco during the Humane Society's

inspection, gave each of the dogs rabies shots prior to leaving. Also on hand

during the inspection were Animal Control Officers George Mattegat and Pat

Anzelotti.