Police are investigating the case of animal cruelty.
Nearly 2,000 animals, many of them dead, were removed from an industrial warehouse in California on Friday, authorities said.
Officers had shown up at the building Thursday as part of an investigation into a man living there, who had already been arrested for another alleged crime, according to reports.
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When authorities arrived they discovered nearly 1,000 dead animals, they said. They also found some alive, according to reports. Police said there were cages piled on top of one another.
Police said they found fish, birds and reptiles in all states of decomposition.
"Despite the doors being closed, we could smell an odor of feces and decay. For lack of a better term, a chicken farm smell," said Montclair Police Sgt. John Minook. "This is probably the worst I’ve seen in my career."
"There was little ventilation provided," the Humane Society said in a Facebook post. "Rescue Officers could not find any food or water for the birds. The warehouse was covered in feces and filled with trash."
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All of the birds are being evaluated and cared for by the Inland Valley Humane Society SPCA
The owner now faces several felony animal cruelty charges, according to the organization.
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