The Nevada County District Attorney's Office has filed seven counts of felony animal cruelty against a Big Oak Valley man whose animals were seized earlier this month.

Louis Silva Jr. was not caring adequately for a menagerie of animals that included miniature ponies, goats, llamas, emus, turkeys and donkeys, said Nevada County Sheriff's Sgt. Shirley Falls.

Animal Control removed more than a dozen animals from his Hutto Road property, west of Penn Valley, in late March and earlier this month.

The neighbors had been complaining for months, but Silva was able to hang onto his livestock until several of the animals died, Falls said.

Some of the rescued animals were emaciated, and one pony was so bad he could barely walk from malnourishment, she said.

“Before the case was filed, I did contact Animal Control to make sure I was getting a proper impression of what happened,” said Deputy District Attorney Greg Weston.

“You want to make sure the picture you have in your mind accurately reflects what the officer saw at the time.”

An arraignment date has not yet been set in Silva's case.

Lauri Polmanteer, who caretakes for Silva occasionally and who has known him since 1974, disputed the allegations of neglect, saying the animals had plenty of room and were not malnourished.

Silva said there was plenty of grass for his animals to graze on, and claimed he is being harassed by his neighbors.

Some of the rescued animals are at the Sammie's Friends-run shelter, and the miniature horses are being housed at other facilities.

To contact Staff Writer Liz Kellar, e-mail lkellar@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4229.