Less than three months after the mass exodus of nearly 1,400 animals from the 70-acre “hell-hole” off 465 American Legion Highway in Westport, one of the so-called farmers is back at it.

After authorities heard reports that animals might be returning, Fred Ponte, the town’s new animal inspector went for a look.

Richard Medeiros, who owns the 70-plus acres, still collects rent on 21 lots there, and gets a farming tax break from the town, unlocked the gate to let Mr. Ponte and a police officer in.

Sure enough, Westport Detective Jeff Majewski said, there was a calf on a lot rented by a Fall River man. That was the only animal found (the entire property was not checked) “but we were told that the Fall River man intends to bring more calves in.”

“Outrageous,” said Westport detective Jeff Majewski. “One animal is too many there.”

And he said the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had a similar reaction.

“One person in the ASPCA legal department said he was horrified to learn that this is happening again,” the detective said.

It’s one more indication, Det. Majewski said, that the property owner and some of the renters intend to get right back into the animal business as soon as possible, despite the fact that charges against them are still being prepared for the previous animal cruelty issues. Prosecutors in Boston, he said, have begun initial proceedings but arrests are still probably a few weeks away.

Last week Det. Majewski and State Police took a helicopter flight over the property and did not see any more animals than that one calf.

But they also saw and photographed that almost all of the 75 ramshackle and illegal sheds and buildings are still standing despite an August letter from the building inspector to Mr. Medeiros ordering that they be demolished.

“Those buildings don’t have permits and they are unsafe for animals and people,” the detective said.

“One ramshackle pallet building (used before to stable horses) was not being destroyed but being renovated.” And the lot where the calf is had numerous issues, police said, including nails sticking out of makeshift fencing fashioned from wooden pallets.

Through his attorney, Mr. Medeiros indicated that he “wanted to meet to negotiate which (buildings) could stay, the detective said. “That part is baffling to me.”

Furthermore, there is no evidence that the property owner has dealt with the rat infestation that was observed there in August. Authorities were told that the Westport Board of Health intended to order the property “to hire a professional exterminator and show proof of cleanup.”

Police don’t have authority to act on these matters but the Board of Health “absolutely does,” Det. Majewski said, noting that when a similar but smaller case was discovered next door in Dartmouth, “the BOH there shut them down once and for all … some of those animal owners just moved over to Westport.”

The state code governing boards of health (chapter 1:11) “clearly spells out in specifics what local boards of health have the power to act on. Unsanitary (conditions) and rodent problems are definitely under BOH purview … there are still heaps of solid waste all over the place out there and unsafe buildings. Little has changed.”

“If the town’s administrative agencies (BOH, building inspection, selectmen) that have the power don’t put a stop to this it is absolutely going to happen all over again” for a third time, Det. Majewski said.