In November 2023, employees at a storage facility in Osceola County, Florida, discovered over one hundred African fat-tailed geckos abandoned in a unit after it was locked due to nonpayment. Of the 111 reptiles found, 41 were dead. The surviving animals were kept in dirty containers without food or water and had not been checked on for more than two months.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) launched an investigation and identified Kelvin E. Soto as the individual responsible. Soto, whose license to exhibit and sell reptiles had expired, was charged with felony animal cruelty and confinement of animals without food or water. He was arrested in Virginia by local authorities and extradited to Florida.
“This case is a powerful example of the work our Captive Wildlife Investigators do every day,” said Maj. John Wilke, FWC Captive Wildlife Section Leader. “Their dedication, thoroughness and persistence ensured accountability for the mistreatment of these animals and justice for the ones that survived.”
On August 14, Soto entered a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to felony animal cruelty; adjudication was withheld on the second charge. His sentence includes four years of supervised probation, 100 hours of community service, a ban on possessing or having contact with animals, forfeiture of the remaining geckos, and restitution exceeding $5,000 to cover care costs for the surviving reptiles during prosecution.
The FWC encourages anyone aware of wildlife violations to report them via its Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC or online at MyFWC.com/WildlifeAlert.
