Douglas Walker

The Star Press

MUNCIE -- Local authorities got more than they bargained for Wednesday, when they determined a Muncie man was living in a Granville Avenue storefront — with more than 600 animals.

It should be noted that 541 animals found in the building were mice, but the remaining 91 members of the menagerie included a foot-long alligator, two hedgehogs, two pythons and five corn snakes.

Not to mention the 15 guinea pigs, 15 hamsters, four turtles, 29 rats, a frog, three hermit crabs, seven lizards and six small birds.

And a parrot who identified itself as "Pretty Bird," and asked police and Muncie Animal Shelter officials, "What are you doing?"

Posed the same question by a reporter, the shelter's superintendent, Phil Peckinpaugh said the animals — all 632 of them — were being seized and taken to the shelter.

Given the unsanitary conditions of the storefront, and a number of alleged code and ordinance violations, Peckinpaugh was prepared to pursue a seizure warrant to claim the animals.

It was very dirty, just a hodge-podge," the shelter superintendent said of the storefront, in the 3100 block of North Granville. "There wasn't much organization to it at all."

However, their owner — identified by Peckinpaugh as Dan Goronzick — agreed to surrender the animals.

The superintendent said Goronzick — who he described as being "very cooperative" — had entertained hopes of opening a wholesale mouse-selling business. (The storefront raided on Wednesday is not affiliated with a pet store in the same strip mall, authorities said.)

The events leading to the Wednesday afternoon raid began a few hours earlier, when the city's building commissioner, Craig Nichols, was inspecting an adjacent storefront in the strip mall, where a boutique is planned.

Nichols quickly detected the stench emanating from the unit next door housing the animals, and an investigation was under way.

"It's just a mess," Nichols said of that storefront. "I don't understand how he thought something like that was going to fly."

The building commissioner issued an order for Goronzick to vacate the premises.

Possession of the alligator specifically violates a city ordinance concerning exotic pets, Peckinpaugh said. Department of Natural Resources officers came to the site to inspect the four turtles, but apparently determined no related citations would be issued.

A veterinarian also came to the scene to assess the state of the animals' health.

Peckinpaugh said it "sure appeared" that Goronzick had been living in the building with his animals. "He couldn't provide any (other) type of address," he said.

The superintendent said Wednesday evening he was in touch with animal organizations from across the state, hoping to find "safe haven and sanctuary" for the Muncie shelter's 632 new guests.

Save haven for 541 mice, 46 of them babies?

"There are a lot of groups out there that deal specifically with mice," he said.

Wednesday's raid came too late for 78 other mice, who were found dead in the storefront.

Peckinpaugh acknowledged he was "overwhelmed" upon entering the northside building Wednesday.

"I knew the rest of my afternoon was booked," he said. A large Muncie Sanitary District box truck was brought to the scene to carry some of the scores of animals — including the snakes and the talkative parrot — to the shelter.

He planned to spend the evening in part doing research on the Internet. Among other topics to be studied was what to feed an alligator.

Contact news reporter Douglas Walker at (765) 213-5851. You can also follow him on Twitter @DouglasWalkerSP.