Help! My animals have gone missing

I need your help. I am the proud owner of 17 animals. Unfortunately they have all gone missing in the past few weeks and I have a feeling they could be hiding in the States somewhere. Can you help me retrieve them?

1a	South Carolina, California, Oregon, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Ohio, New York
1b	Arizona, North Carolina, Alaska, Colorado, Oklahoma, Nevada, Delaware, Alabama
2a	Utah, Maine, Rhode Island, Wyoming, Delaware, Utah, Ohio, Wyoming
2b	Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Tennessee
3a	Louisiana, New Mexico, Idaho, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Florida, Mississippi, Minnesota
3b	Vermont, South Carolina, Georgia, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Montana
4a	Kentucky, California, Tennessee, Virginia, Montana, New Jersey, Minnesota, Colorado
4b	Pennsylvania, Delaware, Alabama, Wisconsin, Missouri, Connecticut, Kentucky
5a	Colorado, North Dakota, Oregon
5b	Oregon, California
6a	South Dakota, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, New Jersey
6b	New York, Virginia, Vermont, Texas, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma
7a	Idaho, Pennsylvania, Connecticut
7b	Maine, Texas, Pennsylvania
8a	Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington; Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri; Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia; California, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington
8b	Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin; Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas, Wyoming; Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah; Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin