The zoo in their backyard

Cops Find Makeshift Zoo during Drug Bust in Queens

NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- It was like a Queens version of the Bronx Zoo.

Officers carrying out a drug bust at a home in the Springfield Gardens neighborhood found about a dozen animals, including a baby caiman, a snake, geckos, iguanas, two monkeys and three tarantulas, police said.

The sources said the home's garage was set up to house the lizards and eight dogs lived in the backyard.

"My guess is that (the homeowner) was breeding (the dogs)," Mike Pastore, director of field operations for New York City Animal Care and Control told the Daily News.

Pastore said the animals appeared to be in good health.

Police did not give details about the drug bust.