When concerned neighbors called the police to investigate a putrid smell coming out of a foreclosed home, they were not prepared for what was inside. The moral of this story is if you see something, say something or rather, if you smell something, because if it wasn't for these concerned neighbors, this situation could have ended up a lot worse...
A Horrific Smell
When a bizarre smell began to waft through a small village in Madagascar, the people who lived there tried to ignore it. After all, it wasn’t that bad… It was probably just a sewer thing and it was going to be fixed, right?
Can’t Ignore It
After a few days, they noticed that it wasn’t going away. In fact, it was getting worse. Some neighbors gathered in the street to try and figure out what was making the smell and how they could make it go away. It obviously wasn’t sewage, it smelled like death...
They Pinpointed The Smell
After doing a little investigating, they were able to pinpoint the smell coming from a house that the city had recently taken over. No one was living inside, so it was quite possible that an animal could have been living there. No one wanted to think about what it really could have been...
Calling the Police
At one point, someone suggested that they call the police, but what if it was nothing? The neighbors didn't want to waste the police’s time on something that was probably nothing. On the other hand, the more they investigated, the more worried they got that this was going to be really bad...
They Kept an Eye on the Place
After a while, they decided to leave it be and see if the smell goes away. Some of the neighbors kept an eye on the home to see if anything was going on. Sure enough, they started to see people coming and going late at night…
This Was Weird
The smell coming from the house was awful, that was a fact. So, why would people be going in there? Was it the old homeowners squatting? Or was something illegal happening? The neighbors decided it was time to do something about it...
The Smell Dissipated
To everyone’s surprise, the smell suddenly went away. At this point, the neighbors assumed that it was all taken care of and they weren’t going to have to worry about it anymore. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
Time to Call the Police
The smell was back, and it was even worse. Finally, the small group of neighbors decided to call the police and ask for any sort of information that they could get. Plus, the smell was so intrusive that they could now smell it in their own homes...
Investigating
After getting the call, the police went to the home to investigate, despite the neighbors saying that they were worried about what could be in there. The police attempted to thwart their concerns by insisting that it was most likely just a bad sewage backup...
Getting a Team Together
Despite their suspicions, the police wanted to call in a team of experts to help them figure out what the smell was. Not only did they bring city officials, but they also brought along a medical examiner and a wildlife expert. They wanted to make sure they were covering all their bases...
The Wildlife Expert Lived Nearby
Funny enough, wildlife expert Soary Randrianjafizanaka lived nearby. She wasn’t close enough to experience the smell, but whenever she was in the area she knew it smelled off. It was nothing that she had smelled before, so she was glad to go in with the police to assist them in any way she could.
The Village Was Picture Perfect
The village of Toliara was beautiful. It was right on the coast of Madagascar with beautiful beaches and coastal breezes. The crime rate was incredibly low, which was a huge reason why the police weren’t expecting foul play…
They Thought It Would be a Regular Investigation
Now that they had put together the right team, it was time to investigate. The lead officers still assumed that it would be sewage leak in the basement. No one knew what they were truly up against until they saw it with their own eyes...
The Smell Was Horrible
When the entire team got there, the neighbors were already outside waiting. The officials had to plug their noses due to the pungent smell before heading into the home. Both Randrianjafizanaka and medical examiner were perplexed. They hadn’t smelled anything this awful in their lives...
Going Inside
The police went inside first. They made sure it was safe and cleared the area before everyone else could join them. The home was completely trashed. The lights were blown out, the kitchen was falling apart and there were holes all over the walls.
Checking Things Out
The smell was pungent and rotten. It was potent inside, which meant that whatever was making the smell was in this home. Some of the folks inside were even getting lightheaded as they were trying to locate the source of the scent...
She Had an Idea
As they were investigating, Randrianjafizanaka mentioned that it might be some sort of waste. She wasn’t sure if it was animal waste or human waste, though. They checked the plumbing and the sewage system in the house… Unfortunately, that checked out. Nothing was wrong with the sewage...
A Bump
While they were talking about what next steps to take, they heard something rustling outside. No one else should have been on the property. It was either an animal or a human, so they headed outside to see what it was...
The Police Had It Handled
The police went to investigate. Their guns were drawn, they went down the stairs and looked around. Then, they saw something move in front of the back window…
Face-To-Face
The police stormed the backyard where they found a group of people hiding. Strewn about were a bunch of shovels and tools and shallow holes dug all around the backyard. What was going on, and what was the smell?!
They Wouldn’t Talk
None of the men would answer their questions. They weren’t cooperating whatsoever so the police ended up arresting them for refusing to cooperate. The police decided to go into a full-fledged investigation and went back into the house...
The Back Room
Through the kitchen, there was a back room. One officer noticed that they hadn’t gone in there to clear it out, so that was where he headed next. He scoped out the kitchen and made sure nothing illegal was out and about. After he deemed that clear, he went to the back room and found the horrible source of the smell...
A Room Full of Tortoises
This was absolutely not what he was expecting, but there they were. Hundreds of tortoises were inside this room being hidden away from the public eye. There were so many in there that he thought the floor itself was moving. He called in for backup...
They Were Everywhere
The more they looked through the home, the more tortoises they found. It was a horrific and inhumane scene. Thousands of tortoises were all over the place and hidden throughout the home in random places...
Good Thing a Wildlife Expert Was There
A bunch of rare, nearly endangered tortoises was not what anyone was expecting to find that day. Randrianjafizanaka immediately jumped into action. Upon further examination, she realized that these tortoises were not indigenous to this region. Something extremely illegal was going on…
They Were In Danger
Randrianjafizanaka knew that she needed to get the animals out of there immediately. They were abused and some were even close to death. She realized that the men who were just taken to jail were poachers. She came up with a plan of action...
Getting Them to Safety
The first task was to get them out of the horrific conditions inside the house and to put them in the backyard. The tortoises were sitting in their filth and it was extremely unhealthy. Randrianjafizanaka called for backup… This was going to be an all-day, all hands on deck undertaking...
Poached Animals
The tortoises were extremely rare and valuable on the black market. People either keep them as exotic, illegal pets or ate them. Either way, taking them from nature is extremely illegal. As they investigated further, they found out that they were putting them in plastic containers and burying the animals in shallow holes to keep them hidden.
9,000 Tortoises
Throughout the house, the police ended up finding over 9,000 tortoises hidden throughout. The smell was from the tons of waste that they were producing. Randrianjafizanaka gathered her co-workers to transport as many tortoises as possible to bring them to safety.
Repopulating The Species
The biggest goal was to bring them back into the wild. Unfortunately, these specific tortoises couldn't be released, but they can breed in an enclosure and help the population. There would be a lot of rehabilitation and learning on the long road ahead, but everyone agreed that it would be worth the effort.
A Tough Situation
No one realized what was going on in their quiet neighborhood. Thankfully, they were all rescued from the horrific living conditions and the city government officially quarantined the home as it was a health hazard. All of the turtles were given a chance at a better life and they’re forever out of harm's way.