Following a complaint filed by Humane Long Island, authorities removed 206 animals from the Northport home of a rogue wildlife rehabilitator. According to law-enforcement officials, Samantha Boyd, 57, has been charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty and endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person, while her partner, Neal Weschler, 61, faces animal-cruelty charges. Investigators report that Boyd kept wild and domesticated animals as pets in conditions marked by trash, filth, and feces — betraying both the animals in her custody and the trust of community members who believed they were surrendering animals to a legitimate caregiver. She is also alleged to have offered animals online to be killed and eaten.
Humane Long Island is now undertaking the heartbreaking work of providing emergency veterinary care to survivors and humanely euthanizing those beyond saving. Yesterday, we were forced to euthanize a Pekin duck suffering from severe, long-untreated osteomyelitis caused by a staph infection. She was unable to walk, and significant portions of her bone tissue had been destroyed, leaving her in profound, irreversible pain.
Another duck underwent emergency treatment after our veterinarians drained two pounds of infected fluid from her abdomen — staggering for a bird who now weighs only four pounds. Her prognosis remains grim, but we are doing everything possible to save her life.
Today, we continue providing critical medical care and long-neglected husbandry to 16 ducks, 4 roosters, 2 rabbits, and 2 quails still in our care. Many are suffering from severely overgrown nails, urine scalding, fecal matting, and other preventable conditions that indicate prolonged neglect.
Throughout this process, we have received calls from devastated community members who entrusted animals to Boyd, believing they would be properly cared for. Many now fear — with good reason — that their animals did not survive.
The conditions we encountered did not arise overnight, nor were they the result of a well-meaning rescuer becoming temporarily overwhelmed. Animal hoarding is a mental-health disorder, and Boyd exhibited numerous warning signs — from refusing entry to her home to espousing conspiracy theories unrelated to animal care.
This case underscores the urgent need for reform. In New York State, becoming a “licensed wildlife rehabilitator” requires only scoring an 80% on an open-book online exam for which the answers are provided ahead of time. The DEC requires no veterinary references, no pre-licensing inspections, no routine inspections, and no supervised volunteer hours. Without commonsense safeguards, individuals unqualified — and sometimes dangerously unfit — can gain a veneer of legitimacy and access to vulnerable wild animals.
Until these standards change, we will continue to see dangerous situations like this one — and like those exposed this year at the Holtsville Ecology Site and Double D Bar Ranch — where individuals present themselves as rescuers while causing profound harm.
To my colleagues in reputable rescue: I urge you to join Humane Long Island in calling for higher standards, stronger oversight, and accountability for those who exploit the label of “rehabber” while harming animals.
And to the public: please work only with established, reputable wildlife centers — such as our trusted partners at the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Center and the Wildlife Center of Long Island — rather than home-based operations lacking oversight, transparency, and veterinary support.
Together, we can ensure that vulnerable animals receive the professional, compassionate care they deserve.