Exotic animals found abandoned in box truck; driver arrested, police say

The owner of a small, traveling circus-style sideshow in Florida has been arrested after several animals were found locked in cages and left alone inside a disabled box truck, according to the New Smyrna Beach Police Department.Raymond Welch, the owner of "Purple Pirates Circus Sideshow," was arrested on Oct. 6 and booked into the Volusia County Jail on charges of animal cruelty and aggravated animal cruelty, records show.Police responded to a report of a disabled or abandoned truck and heard what sounded like "an individual yelling" from inside the back of the truck. Inside the truck, officers found several animals – chickens, rats, tortoises, and snakes – in their cages with no climate control or ventilation, and no access to heat, lighting, food, or water, according to the report.One of three rats was found dead, police said. According to police, the truck reportedly broke down the night before and Welch told his employees to leave the truck where it was. Police estimated the truck