Dead rhino among carcasses on property

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - State, county and city environmental health specialists combed through the yard of a Bernalillo County resident early Thursday morning after a foul stench led police to several badly decomposed animal carcasses.

Wednesday night, Albuquerque police and Bernalillo County sheriff's deputies were called out to the neighborhoods surrounding Coors and Arenal SW in reference to the smell of something dead. Officers discovered the home on Arenal just west of Coors.

A source told News 13 there were dozens of parts from dead sheep, dead horses and a dead rhino.

A city source said it is hard to determine how many dead sheep were on the property because the carcasses are now liquefied.

In December, a rhino from the Rio Grande Zoo named Sally died. City of Albuquerque officials would not confirm that the rhino on the man's property was that from the zoo.

City and county officials, however, called a news conference for 3 p.m. to discuss the carcasses.

County officials told News 13 the man does have a permit to dispose the animal remains at the landfill although it appears he was not following through in a timely matter.

The man said his wife has been sick and he has not been able to take animals to the landfill as often as he should.