Rosenthal Googled "animal acts" and spotted his animals
By William Zilke, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: November 15, 2007
Livonia police helped break up a national exotic animal theft ring that had stolen animals from Sumpter Township's Animal Magic sanctuary, Livonia pet stores and a small Birch Run zoo.
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Adam Lock, 23, his wife Julie Marie Lock, 22 of Flint Township, and alleged accomplice Joshua Roberts, 24, of Mundy Township, were arrested Nov. 8 in raids in two homes in Genesee County.
More than 70 exotic animals were confiscated at the Flint Township home by several Michigan police agencies working on the case. The home contained birds and mammals and only had pine shavings on the floor for urine and feces and holes were punched in the walls to install make shift perches for Toucans and other exotic birds.
The home held cages in every room, including animals stolen from Animal Magic owner Mark Rosenthal.
The Mundy Township location contained reptiles including, frogs, tarantulas, scorpions, poisonous snakes, tortoises and even a stolen monitor lizard.
The arrests mark the end of a very long and traumatic experience for the Rosenthals.
After two break-ins and thefts of exotic animals from his Animal Magic sanctuary nine months ago, Rosenthal's only hope was that the animals be brought back alive.
The animals stolen could not survive in Michigan's climate, need very special, specific diets and some of them have been raised by Rosenthal since they were babies and know no other caregiver but him.
"I didn't know if they were alive or if they had even killed them," he said.
Though close to a year had passed since the first break in, Rosenthal did not give up trying to find the stolen animals.
On Halloween, Rosenthal continued his search and Googled "animal acts" and other pertinent key words on his computer.
Rosenthal was shocked and ecstatic with what he found.
"I saw Wookie, the kinkajou, on a Web site," he said.
"It was on the Those Animal Guys Web page."
He believes someone in the ring may have seen a hit on the Web Site come from Sumpter Twp. and pulled the photos within 20 minutes.
A photo of Adam Lock originally appeared on the page with Wookie but it was quickly replaced with one of Lock holding a snake instead.
"I called my USDA inspector and asked if they had a license for exotics," Rosenthal said. "They did not."
If it wasn't bad enough that the trio stole Rosenthal's animals, they were brazen enough to put photos of the stolen animals on the Web site or perform for Flint area school children with a menagerie of stolen, scared animals, they then claimed to have Rosenthal's Michigan State University degree, parts of his resume and his magic act. To add insult to injury, the performing group "Those Animals Guys" actually listed Rosenthal as a consultant.
Following up on clues and the bizarre public flaunting of the stolen animals on Nov. 6, police raided the homes.
Not only did the trio not have any real knowledge of handling dangerous, potentially fatal animals, police found "how-to" manuals for poisonous snakes and reptiles.
On Friday, Animal Magic held a fund-raiser and Rosenthal was happy to say he had recovered his wallaby, fennec fox and an albino frog but no trace was found of the pink-toed tarantula, rare walking sticks and a sugar glider.
Wookie the kinkajou was a surprise, guest star at the fund-raiser held at Belleville High School.
"When he saw me (last week), he came running up to me and licked my face," Rosenthal said.
The fennec fox, who was trapped in a cage with a male and a pregnant female fox, was a little worse for wear and tear, since he posed a territorial threat to the other foxes.
Rosenthal has assisted several police departments in rescuing exotic and dangerous animals from alligators to poisonous snakes.
He has never charged for that service and police and animal control officers will not handle wild, potentially deadly animals.
The animals are either shipped to zoos or Rosenthal, a licensed exotic handler, will keep them if he cannot find a legitimate zoo or professional keeper for them.
The story has spread past the local and national media level and has gone global.
"My wife, Diane, saw it on a news-page from India," he said.
"I am so happy these animals are going back to their rightful owners."
Animal Magic is a non- profit organization and donations can be made at www.iwantanimalmagic.com.
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