Michael Patrick Turland, 43, of Arizona, admitted to freezing some of the animals alive.

He faces 94 counts of animal cruelty. Herde spokesperson Anita Mortensen described the scene as “absolutely disgusting and heartbreaking.”

“As an animal lover, I was crying just looking at them,” she told the BBC.

A woman told police she had left snakes with Mr Turland to breed, but he had vanished after a few months and she had been unable to retrieve them.

The woman said the property owner contacted her after Mr. Turland and his wife left their Golden Valley home.

She said the owner came to clean the apartment and found a freezer full of dead animals, including her snakes.

Officers found frozen dogs, turtles, lizards, birds, snakes, mice, rats, and rabbits.

Ten days later, police found Mr Turland at the house and arrested him.

Why he froze the animals is unknown.