here's conor knighton. ♪ >> reporter: the monroe county detention center in stock island, florida, currently houses around 400 people. there's also an emu, an armadillo, a capybara, a ball python, some mandarin ducks, a zibu. >> hello, baby. >> reporter: and a skunk named squirt. >> is he soft? >> mm-hmm. >> reporter: these 120 animals haven't been convicted of anything. >> come on in, everybody. >> reporter: for them, getting assigned a life sentence here is actually a good thing. it's a safe place where they can live out their days with regular visitation from hundreds of admirers. >> all of our animals have been abandoned, abused, confiscated, or donated. >> good morning, wilbur. >> reporter: biologist jeannie sealander has supervised the monroe county sheriff's office animal farm since 2006. >> are you going to dance for us today? >> reporter: this small zoo got started by accident in the mid-1990s when word got out that the sheriff had rescued some ducks from a nearby road. >> people just showed up with animals they didn't want anymore because the rumors were that jail was taking in ani