A Cuban family living in Florida has been the target of a violent crime at their home. Several intruders broke in and stole hundreds of exotic birds, but not before killing the family's four dogs and another dog belonging to a neighbor. This heartbreaking incident took place overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday in Redlands, an agricultural area southwest of Miami-Dade.
Michel Ojito, the owner of the farm, has been raising birds for over 12 years, totaling around 300. Last Wednesday, as he awoke, he was met with a horrific scene: empty cages and the lifeless bodies of his four beloved pets, along with the neighbor’s dog. It's this unnecessary cruelty towards defenseless animals that pains him the most.
"They have destroyed my family. It's an act of cruelty, a savage murder," he lamented to América TeVe. "Imagine, my daughter found one of those little dogs they killed in the street, she brought her home," he added.
The four dogs, which included a Labrador, a Rottweiler, and two Rat Terriers, as well as the neighbor's dog, were poisoned, likely to prevent them from barking and raising an alarm during the burglary.
Surveillance footage shows that shortly after midnight on Wednesday, a pickup truck arrived at the back of the property, and four men exited the vehicle, jumping over the fence. One individual, with his face covered, disabled a camera and threw it to the ground while another carried a ladder.
Ojito believes the stolen birds might be sold on the black market and recognizes the difficulty in recovering them. "Even if they sell them, they won't make $5,000. To me, they are invaluable. Selling them slowly would be easy, but now they're practically giving them away, and they've destroyed our family's happiness," he expressed emotionally to Telemundo 51.
Michel is offering a reward of $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest of those responsible. The Miami-Dade Police Department is also seeking the public's assistance. If you have any information about these individuals, please contact the Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers line at (305) 471-8477.
Understanding the Miami-Dade Animal Cruelty Incident
What happened to the Cuban family's pets in Miami-Dade?
The family's four dogs and a neighbor's dog were poisoned and killed during a burglary where over 300 exotic birds were stolen from their home.
How did the burglars execute the crime?
Surveillance footage shows four men arriving in a pickup truck, jumping the fence, disabling security cameras, and stealing the birds.
What steps are being taken to find the culprits?
Michel Ojito is offering a $5,000 reward for information, and the Miami-Dade Police Department is calling for public assistance via their Crime Stoppers line.