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Vanishing Species Barbara Jeff Vanishing Species Barbara Jeffrey Harrod
- From: Anon
-
Description:
Feb 9,2010 Barbara Harrod entered a no contest plea in front of Judge Ginger Lerner Wren Broward County Florida Court House. The judge found Barbara Harrod guilty of all 5 counts and sentenced her to 12 months of probation and she was ordered to pay court costs roughly in the amount of $1000.00. NO fine was given by the judge even though she could have done so.
Barbara Harrod often “gets” her baby tigers from Larry Wallach whom is licensed out of NY and Ft Lauderdale. Barbara uses these babies for pets then tosses them into a tiny cage for the rest of their lives which typically isn’t very long.
I have now released graphic video’s of what these animals had to endure every day at the Davie location of Vanishing Species under the lack of care of Barbara Harrod.The Sun- Sentinel also did three stories on Barbara Harrod and the property of Vanishing Species. Here’s the link to the latest story. If you type in Vanishing Species you’ll be able to locate David Fleshlers other stories on Vanishing Species.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-wildlife-violations-20100313,0,2508711.story
DAVIE An arthritic tiger failed to receive proper veterinary care. Small mammals housed in a shed died when the air conditioning broke down. Tigers disappeared without proper documentation.A Davie wildlife exhibitor has been accused of those violations in federal inspection reports.
She faces the possible loss of state and federal licenses, after years of using animals to entertain at schools, summer camps, fairs and parties.
Barbara Harrod, who operates Vanishing Species Wildlife Inc., pleaded no contest in February to state charges that she kept animals in unsanitary conditions, used cages that were too small and engaged in other wildlife violations.
She was assessed court costs, not fines.
But the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is reviewing the case to determine whether to suspend or revoke her license, said Capt. John West, of the agency's law enforcement division.
After a separate federal review, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said she has failed to comply with a federal consent order to move all big cats off her site.
The order was issued after inspectors found animals' food contaminated with blood and maggots, inadequate veterinary care, and tigers left unprotected from sun and rain.
The agreement signed last year gave her until July 31, 2009, to get big cats off her fenced compound along Southwest 136th Avenue in Davie.
However, visits by federal inspectors over the past several months found big cats still there and repeated violations of the laws requiring adequate care for the animals.
"It's been systematic noncompliance," said Nolan Lemon, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"The Animal Welfare Act details minimum standards — minimum standards," Lemon said. "These are repeat violations of those standards."
Harrod said she would answer questions only in writing. Questions were sent by e-mail March 3, but she never responded. Her lawyer, Marshall Platt, could not be reached to comment despite messages left by phone and e-mail.
Despite the agreement to move out big cats, a Feb. 4 inspection found two adult tigers and an adult cougar on the property.
Lemon said Harrod was in violation of the consent agreement.
"It's with our legal folks at this point," he said.
Inspections over the past several months have turned up other violations.
Several small mammals housed in a windowless structure died after the air conditioning failed, according to USDA inspection reports.
hree adult tigers disappeared without the required documentation showing to whom they were given or sold.
The Feb. 4 inspection found an adult tiger named Nicky limping and suffering from arthritis and not receiving adequate veterinary care. The attending veterinarian, who last signed a program of care in 2008, does not live in the area, according to the inspection report.
"It's not like owning a dog or a cat," Lemon said. "There are people who get in with the best intentions and they forget that Tigger is a dangerous animal with very demanding and expensive needs. Vet care is expensive, but you can't compromise on that."
David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4535.
Video Links
Warning these videos are graphic, I recommend not eating prior to viewing if you have a weaker stomach.These video’s are on you tube under vanishing species.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDq9vLf51io
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXW2Gz3YBJ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruby5Kyoo2Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGv6rR2fV0g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi8pyhZpmwc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKj8W8zCsEU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l5ap6EDI4M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVJVs3izR4E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYGQLoWfmtY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAmij5EUcuU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du9OOqCchZQ
Some of the animals in these pictures are now dead due to "unnatural" causes.
The Palmdale facility was closed to the public in Feb 2009 by the USDA after a plea agreement with Jeffery and Barbara Harrod owners of Vanishing Species was reached.
USDA fined the Harrods $27,000 for violations and citations at the Palmdale facility but after the plea deal USDA reduced the fines to $3,700.00 with $100.00 payments per month.
USDA didn't return to enforce the plea agreement. Through repeat calling Dr Goldentire , Dr Gibson whom is Dr Goldentire's boss and then calling Joe Nelson I was informed they couldn't discuss the case with me but this case is public record yet none would comment on the case.
In accordance to the public record of USDA it states all cats’ juveniles and adults must be removed off the Davie, Fl. location by July 31, 2009. It's now March 31, 2010 and still class 1 and 2 cats remained on that property. No enforcing of the USDA rules for the plea agreement.
Send a message to USDA to enforce their own plea agreements, revocate licenses, not allow exotic permits or licenses to be given out like candy unless more stringent rules such as testing, serving 500 hours in a vet office that deals with exotic animals, having 500 hours of apprentice experience with FWC and field work, pass a written test, produce 1000 hours of logged time working with exotic animals.
USDA doesn't care about the animals nor enforces their own plea deals.
CALL THESE PEOPLE TODAY!
DEMAND AN EXPLAINATION TO WHY VANISHING SPECIES CAN RETAIN EXOTIC ANIMAL PERMITS AND LICENSES WHEN THEY HAVE VIOLATED EVERY LAW FROM A-N. USDA HAS 2 FILE FOLDERS OF REPEAT VIOLATIONS; THEY HAVE EVEN FORDGED VET RECORDS AND HIDDEN DEATH OF THE ANIMALS, SALES OF THE ANIMALS AND TRANSPORTS OF ANIMALS. SINCE THE PALMDALE FACILITY IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC HOW CAN THEY EXHABIT LEGALLY! THEY CAN'T! ANOTHER LAW BROKEN BUT WHO'S LOOKING. I HOPE CAROL CAN ATTACH THE ORIGINAL PLEA AGREEMENT TO THIS ARTICLE I SENT HER.
The Key players with this disaster with USDA are:
CALL TODAY AND EXPRESS YOUR VOICE
_____________________________________
Dr Goldentire USDA District Manager: 919-855-7100, Fax: 919-855-7123
Dr Gibson, Dr Goldentire direct supervisor: 301-734-4980.
Joe Nelson: 919-855-7106You can access the Harrods inspection records at:
http://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/pdfpage.jspx?custid=9487
If this link doesn’t work type in aphis, then on the left side click on animal welfare, then
On the right side click on publication and reports, next you’ll get a “ warning “ page, just click except, it’s legal for you to look at public records, next your get a page with a box asking name your looking up type in Vanishing Species, under state type in florida hit enter. At the bottom you’ll click on the PDF file and there you go, all of the inspection reports by USDA.
Ask why they have not revoked the Harrods license with repeat violations. Last I checked forging vet records is still forgery and is a felony.
FWC has the green light to revoke Barbara Harrods license yet Captain John West out of Tallassee has done nothing at this point.
Please call: 850-488-6253
Demand answers why FWC won’t revoke Jeffery Harrods or Barbara Harrods license after repeat violations with their agency and numerous complains. They have my log book, video’s I shot that you can now view and still more animals continue to die from lack of vet care, lack of knowledge and lack of funding to buy food.
3 weeks ago Art Matson whom is the inspector for Vanishing Species called and said he had just preformed an inspection at Palmdale, he said he eye balled the tigers and said they looked happy and healthy, I questioned Arts inspection as to what paper work did he receive in regards to the transfer of 7 cougars to Jeffery Harrods friends. Art replied no he ever checked. Art indicated he never went to check on the transferred cougars and made sure their cages were up to FWC standards or checking the proper permits of the friends. I asked Art if he checked for food on the premise to ensure the tigers, lions, leopards and cougars had enough palatable food to feed them daily, Art replied no he did not check to see how much food was in the refrigerators or freezers.
I asked Art if he knew what the proper weight was for a Siberian tiger was, he replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew the proper weight for a Bengal tiger, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew what the percentage of food per animal and their weight was too been to feed daily, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he looked at any current vet records as a yearly vet check is needed, he replied no he did not.
Art Matson said to me and I quote” the tigers look happy and healthy”. I asked Art what does a happy and healthy tiger look like, he said he didn’t know. I said how do you know the tigers are healthy, are you a licensed veterinarian? He replied no he was not. I asked if a Bengal at proper weight was to weight 600 lbs, eyeballing the tiger how do you know it’s at proper weight? He said he didn’t know but said and I quote again” no bones were sticking out”. This I said would be past malnutrition this is called Emaciation.
Art Matson said to me he couldn’t find any violations or anything wrong yet never checked anything, just talked to Mr Harrod and left.
Concerned a proper inspection wasn’t done and biased friendships seemed to have gotten in Art Matson’s view I called Tallahassee and lodged a complaint against his “inspection”. The next week 2 state officials out of Tallahassee were sent to Palmdale and they discovered MANY, MANY violations!!! Odd how a week prior to that Art Matson said he couldn’t find one thing wrong.
Art Matson said he knows of a sanctuary out of Colorado called Wild Animal sanctuary and they were willing at their own expense bring in eight tractor trailers and take every cat the Harrods have to their rescue where they have set aside 250 acres giving each cat 20 acres to themselves with dens and water falls. Jeffery said he’d agree to it but the condition was he had to also give up his breeders license so this mess can’t be repeated down the road. Jeffery refuses to give up his breeders permits and indicated to Art he wanted to get more babies for money making opportunities. So this process will begin all over again.
From my sources Jeffery Harrod is planning on putting all the animals names in his girlfriends name but she doesn’t yet have a class 1 & 2 license however Jeffery indicated he was going to “ sign” saying she has her 1000 hours per species even though she has none logged and has no idea of animal husbandry.
This way Jeffery Harrod can manipulate the system again and gets to keep the cats.
Art Matson said to me Jeffery Harrod told him he was selling Palmdale by the end of his month, so I said to Captian Ardleen yesterday were at the end of the month is Palmdale sold, he said no Jeffery now said it’ll be at the end of the year. STALL, STALL, STALL!!!!
Right now according to Art Matson Jeffery Harrod has housed on the Palmdale property:
7 tigers7 cougars
2 lions
2 leopards
6 alligators
Host of other assorted animals from raccoons to pheasants, emu’s, goats, pigs, etc.
On the property of Palmdale one black leopard according to my close source died about 2 months ago, he was only 2 ½ years old. To my knowledge this animal was not listed on the inventory register as dead with FWC or USDA. No records were ever looked at by Art Matson to compare what animals were there last inspection verses what animals aren’t there this inspection. If sold where is the transfers paperwork and sellers book? Art said he never checked.
March 29, 2010 I received credible information Jeffery Harrod was housing a 3 week old baby cougar in his trailer, according to my inside source the baby is very ill and has diaherra. I was on the phone till after 2 am with a hot line operator whom was in communication with Captain Adleen whom indicated he and Pat Reynolds with FWC would be visiting Jeffery Harrods home and checking if the cougar was ok. He looked at the cat saw the diaherra asked Jeffery if he was going to seek medical attention with a vet at which time Jeffery answered no he wasn’t. He has this cougar baby according to my sources on whole cow’s milk, diluted with water and cat food mixed in. Jeffery indicated the baby is on cat formula and it’s common to remove the baby as soon as it’s born away from the mother. They believe Jeffery Harrod but took pictures
BARBARA HARRODS BROWARD COUNTY COURTHOUSE CASE RECORD
Link HERE
These three powerful people had the green light and authority to revocate ( strip these licenses and permits) but instead looked the other way and gave them a tap on the wrist while more animals suffered and died. The USDA and there laws are worthless to animals.
This is why I've been working to help shut down Vanishing Species because under there lack of proper animal care the species is truely vanishing.
Remember when viewing these animals some here in these pictures are now dead and no one cared!
Who know's what's become of the others in the pictures. Change needs to come to the laws governing who can and can't have exotic animals.
The Harrods have no formal education in attending college for animal husbandry also known as animal science, they have no formal training as a veterarian assistant or in veterinarian medicine, the Harrod's don't possess a master's degrees or doctorates in disciplines such as nutrition, genetics and animal breeding, or reproductive physiology. Yet The Harrods have been given permits for breeding and exhibition by FWC and USDA.
They were just simply given permits! So in essence you need no skill, training nor knowledge to possess and keep a tiger , cougar or leopard which is a class 1 animal!
You just need to “know" someone that already has a class 1 and 2 permit to sign for you stating you have the 1000 hours per species even if you never had 20 hours. You don't need to prove you have the knowledge you just have to produce a few bucks for the permits and off you go.
Unite your voice with mine and stand up to politics that condemn these sacred and endangered animals to a life in a small prison, there only crime was they were born.
Unfortunately these animals you see were only a commodity and expendable.
If one baby died and many did they'd just go BUY another tiger baby to exploit for money doing baby pets at fairs such as Dade County Youth Fair, Birthday parties , schools, and other private functions ,Saw Grass Rec Park where they used to exhibit some of these animals and used the baby tiger pictured here , lioness named " Savanna" and the bob cat for baby pets for money but had lost their contact there and weren't asked back , along with other fairs.
One way or another the laws are going to have to change and if I have to stand alone then so be it but I'd like you the ones reading this to get involved because laws only change when people make law makers change them.
I don't feel the punishment for Barbara Harrod fit the crimes and should have been much more severe. Once again the animals died for a slap on the wrist and court costs. Where is the justice for the voiceless! This statement is my own personal feelings. After this case sat in the legal system with postponements for 3 years this was the outcome for the animals that suffered and died.Please help me to help the animals and be a voice with mine to demand answer from USDA and FWC. How many more animals have to die at the hands of the Harrods? When is enough, enough?
I am an animal advocate, a voice for the voiceless and I’m not going away. If I have to stand alone so be it, I have fought this ongoing night mare for the animals for 3 years and I have no intensions of going away any time soon.
Written by eye witness Chrissy Fischer
Email: witcheswand@yahoo.com
- 5 months ago
- Views: 235
- Not yet rated
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Vanishing Species Barbara Jeff Vanishing Species Barbara Jeffrey Harrod
- From: Anon
-
Description:
Feb 9,2010 Barbara Harrod entered a no contest plea in front of Judge Ginger Lerner Wren Broward County Florida Court House. The judge found Barbara Harrod guilty of all 5 counts and sentenced her to 12 months of probation and she was ordered to pay court costs roughly in the amount of $1000.00. NO fine was given by the judge even though she could have done so.
Barbara Harrod often “gets” her baby tigers from Larry Wallach whom is licensed out of NY and Ft Lauderdale. Barbara uses these babies for pets then tosses them into a tiny cage for the rest of their lives which typically isn’t very long.
I have now released graphic video’s of what these animals had to endure every day at the Davie location of Vanishing Species under the lack of care of Barbara Harrod.The Sun- Sentinel also did three stories on Barbara Harrod and the property of Vanishing Species. Here’s the link to the latest story. If you type in Vanishing Species you’ll be able to locate David Fleshlers other stories on Vanishing Species.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-wildlife-violations-20100313,0,2508711.story
DAVIE An arthritic tiger failed to receive proper veterinary care. Small mammals housed in a shed died when the air conditioning broke down. Tigers disappeared without proper documentation.A Davie wildlife exhibitor has been accused of those violations in federal inspection reports.
She faces the possible loss of state and federal licenses, after years of using animals to entertain at schools, summer camps, fairs and parties.
Barbara Harrod, who operates Vanishing Species Wildlife Inc., pleaded no contest in February to state charges that she kept animals in unsanitary conditions, used cages that were too small and engaged in other wildlife violations.
She was assessed court costs, not fines.
But the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is reviewing the case to determine whether to suspend or revoke her license, said Capt. John West, of the agency's law enforcement division.
After a separate federal review, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said she has failed to comply with a federal consent order to move all big cats off her site.
The order was issued after inspectors found animals' food contaminated with blood and maggots, inadequate veterinary care, and tigers left unprotected from sun and rain.
The agreement signed last year gave her until July 31, 2009, to get big cats off her fenced compound along Southwest 136th Avenue in Davie.
However, visits by federal inspectors over the past several months found big cats still there and repeated violations of the laws requiring adequate care for the animals.
"It's been systematic noncompliance," said Nolan Lemon, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"The Animal Welfare Act details minimum standards — minimum standards," Lemon said. "These are repeat violations of those standards."
Harrod said she would answer questions only in writing. Questions were sent by e-mail March 3, but she never responded. Her lawyer, Marshall Platt, could not be reached to comment despite messages left by phone and e-mail.
Despite the agreement to move out big cats, a Feb. 4 inspection found two adult tigers and an adult cougar on the property.
Lemon said Harrod was in violation of the consent agreement.
"It's with our legal folks at this point," he said.
Inspections over the past several months have turned up other violations.
Several small mammals housed in a windowless structure died after the air conditioning failed, according to USDA inspection reports.
hree adult tigers disappeared without the required documentation showing to whom they were given or sold.
The Feb. 4 inspection found an adult tiger named Nicky limping and suffering from arthritis and not receiving adequate veterinary care. The attending veterinarian, who last signed a program of care in 2008, does not live in the area, according to the inspection report.
"It's not like owning a dog or a cat," Lemon said. "There are people who get in with the best intentions and they forget that Tigger is a dangerous animal with very demanding and expensive needs. Vet care is expensive, but you can't compromise on that."
David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4535.
Video Links
Warning these videos are graphic, I recommend not eating prior to viewing if you have a weaker stomach.These video’s are on you tube under vanishing species.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDq9vLf51io
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXW2Gz3YBJ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruby5Kyoo2Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGv6rR2fV0g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi8pyhZpmwc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKj8W8zCsEU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l5ap6EDI4M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVJVs3izR4E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYGQLoWfmtY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAmij5EUcuU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du9OOqCchZQ
Some of the animals in these pictures are now dead due to "unnatural" causes.
The Palmdale facility was closed to the public in Feb 2009 by the USDA after a plea agreement with Jeffery and Barbara Harrod owners of Vanishing Species was reached.
USDA fined the Harrods $27,000 for violations and citations at the Palmdale facility but after the plea deal USDA reduced the fines to $3,700.00 with $100.00 payments per month.
USDA didn't return to enforce the plea agreement. Through repeat calling Dr Goldentire , Dr Gibson whom is Dr Goldentire's boss and then calling Joe Nelson I was informed they couldn't discuss the case with me but this case is public record yet none would comment on the case.
In accordance to the public record of USDA it states all cats’ juveniles and adults must be removed off the Davie, Fl. location by July 31, 2009. It's now March 31, 2010 and still class 1 and 2 cats remained on that property. No enforcing of the USDA rules for the plea agreement.
Send a message to USDA to enforce their own plea agreements, revocate licenses, not allow exotic permits or licenses to be given out like candy unless more stringent rules such as testing, serving 500 hours in a vet office that deals with exotic animals, having 500 hours of apprentice experience with FWC and field work, pass a written test, produce 1000 hours of logged time working with exotic animals.
USDA doesn't care about the animals nor enforces their own plea deals.
CALL THESE PEOPLE TODAY!
DEMAND AN EXPLAINATION TO WHY VANISHING SPECIES CAN RETAIN EXOTIC ANIMAL PERMITS AND LICENSES WHEN THEY HAVE VIOLATED EVERY LAW FROM A-N. USDA HAS 2 FILE FOLDERS OF REPEAT VIOLATIONS; THEY HAVE EVEN FORDGED VET RECORDS AND HIDDEN DEATH OF THE ANIMALS, SALES OF THE ANIMALS AND TRANSPORTS OF ANIMALS. SINCE THE PALMDALE FACILITY IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC HOW CAN THEY EXHABIT LEGALLY! THEY CAN'T! ANOTHER LAW BROKEN BUT WHO'S LOOKING. I HOPE CAROL CAN ATTACH THE ORIGINAL PLEA AGREEMENT TO THIS ARTICLE I SENT HER.
The Key players with this disaster with USDA are:
CALL TODAY AND EXPRESS YOUR VOICE
_____________________________________
Dr Goldentire USDA District Manager: 919-855-7100, Fax: 919-855-7123
Dr Gibson, Dr Goldentire direct supervisor: 301-734-4980.
Joe Nelson: 919-855-7106You can access the Harrods inspection records at:
http://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/pdfpage.jspx?custid=9487
If this link doesn’t work type in aphis, then on the left side click on animal welfare, then
On the right side click on publication and reports, next you’ll get a “ warning “ page, just click except, it’s legal for you to look at public records, next your get a page with a box asking name your looking up type in Vanishing Species, under state type in florida hit enter. At the bottom you’ll click on the PDF file and there you go, all of the inspection reports by USDA.
Ask why they have not revoked the Harrods license with repeat violations. Last I checked forging vet records is still forgery and is a felony.
FWC has the green light to revoke Barbara Harrods license yet Captain John West out of Tallassee has done nothing at this point.
Please call: 850-488-6253
Demand answers why FWC won’t revoke Jeffery Harrods or Barbara Harrods license after repeat violations with their agency and numerous complains. They have my log book, video’s I shot that you can now view and still more animals continue to die from lack of vet care, lack of knowledge and lack of funding to buy food.
3 weeks ago Art Matson whom is the inspector for Vanishing Species called and said he had just preformed an inspection at Palmdale, he said he eye balled the tigers and said they looked happy and healthy, I questioned Arts inspection as to what paper work did he receive in regards to the transfer of 7 cougars to Jeffery Harrods friends. Art replied no he ever checked. Art indicated he never went to check on the transferred cougars and made sure their cages were up to FWC standards or checking the proper permits of the friends. I asked Art if he checked for food on the premise to ensure the tigers, lions, leopards and cougars had enough palatable food to feed them daily, Art replied no he did not check to see how much food was in the refrigerators or freezers.
I asked Art if he knew what the proper weight was for a Siberian tiger was, he replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew the proper weight for a Bengal tiger, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew what the percentage of food per animal and their weight was too been to feed daily, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he looked at any current vet records as a yearly vet check is needed, he replied no he did not.
Art Matson said to me and I quote” the tigers look happy and healthy”. I asked Art what does a happy and healthy tiger look like, he said he didn’t know. I said how do you know the tigers are healthy, are you a licensed veterinarian? He replied no he was not. I asked if a Bengal at proper weight was to weight 600 lbs, eyeballing the tiger how do you know it’s at proper weight? He said he didn’t know but said and I quote again” no bones were sticking out”. This I said would be past malnutrition this is called Emaciation.
Art Matson said to me he couldn’t find any violations or anything wrong yet never checked anything, just talked to Mr Harrod and left.
Concerned a proper inspection wasn’t done and biased friendships seemed to have gotten in Art Matson’s view I called Tallahassee and lodged a complaint against his “inspection”. The next week 2 state officials out of Tallahassee were sent to Palmdale and they discovered MANY, MANY violations!!! Odd how a week prior to that Art Matson said he couldn’t find one thing wrong.
Art Matson said he knows of a sanctuary out of Colorado called Wild Animal sanctuary and they were willing at their own expense bring in eight tractor trailers and take every cat the Harrods have to their rescue where they have set aside 250 acres giving each cat 20 acres to themselves with dens and water falls. Jeffery said he’d agree to it but the condition was he had to also give up his breeders license so this mess can’t be repeated down the road. Jeffery refuses to give up his breeders permits and indicated to Art he wanted to get more babies for money making opportunities. So this process will begin all over again.
From my sources Jeffery Harrod is planning on putting all the animals names in his girlfriends name but she doesn’t yet have a class 1 & 2 license however Jeffery indicated he was going to “ sign” saying she has her 1000 hours per species even though she has none logged and has no idea of animal husbandry.
This way Jeffery Harrod can manipulate the system again and gets to keep the cats.
Art Matson said to me Jeffery Harrod told him he was selling Palmdale by the end of his month, so I said to Captian Ardleen yesterday were at the end of the month is Palmdale sold, he said no Jeffery now said it’ll be at the end of the year. STALL, STALL, STALL!!!!
Right now according to Art Matson Jeffery Harrod has housed on the Palmdale property:
7 tigers7 cougars
2 lions
2 leopards
6 alligators
Host of other assorted animals from raccoons to pheasants, emu’s, goats, pigs, etc.
On the property of Palmdale one black leopard according to my close source died about 2 months ago, he was only 2 ½ years old. To my knowledge this animal was not listed on the inventory register as dead with FWC or USDA. No records were ever looked at by Art Matson to compare what animals were there last inspection verses what animals aren’t there this inspection. If sold where is the transfers paperwork and sellers book? Art said he never checked.
March 29, 2010 I received credible information Jeffery Harrod was housing a 3 week old baby cougar in his trailer, according to my inside source the baby is very ill and has diaherra. I was on the phone till after 2 am with a hot line operator whom was in communication with Captain Adleen whom indicated he and Pat Reynolds with FWC would be visiting Jeffery Harrods home and checking if the cougar was ok. He looked at the cat saw the diaherra asked Jeffery if he was going to seek medical attention with a vet at which time Jeffery answered no he wasn’t. He has this cougar baby according to my sources on whole cow’s milk, diluted with water and cat food mixed in. Jeffery indicated the baby is on cat formula and it’s common to remove the baby as soon as it’s born away from the mother. They believe Jeffery Harrod but took pictures
BARBARA HARRODS BROWARD COUNTY COURTHOUSE CASE RECORD
Link HERE
These three powerful people had the green light and authority to revocate ( strip these licenses and permits) but instead looked the other way and gave them a tap on the wrist while more animals suffered and died. The USDA and there laws are worthless to animals.
This is why I've been working to help shut down Vanishing Species because under there lack of proper animal care the species is truely vanishing.
Remember when viewing these animals some here in these pictures are now dead and no one cared!
Who know's what's become of the others in the pictures. Change needs to come to the laws governing who can and can't have exotic animals.
The Harrods have no formal education in attending college for animal husbandry also known as animal science, they have no formal training as a veterarian assistant or in veterinarian medicine, the Harrod's don't possess a master's degrees or doctorates in disciplines such as nutrition, genetics and animal breeding, or reproductive physiology. Yet The Harrods have been given permits for breeding and exhibition by FWC and USDA.
They were just simply given permits! So in essence you need no skill, training nor knowledge to possess and keep a tiger , cougar or leopard which is a class 1 animal!
You just need to “know" someone that already has a class 1 and 2 permit to sign for you stating you have the 1000 hours per species even if you never had 20 hours. You don't need to prove you have the knowledge you just have to produce a few bucks for the permits and off you go.
Unite your voice with mine and stand up to politics that condemn these sacred and endangered animals to a life in a small prison, there only crime was they were born.
Unfortunately these animals you see were only a commodity and expendable.
If one baby died and many did they'd just go BUY another tiger baby to exploit for money doing baby pets at fairs such as Dade County Youth Fair, Birthday parties , schools, and other private functions ,Saw Grass Rec Park where they used to exhibit some of these animals and used the baby tiger pictured here , lioness named " Savanna" and the bob cat for baby pets for money but had lost their contact there and weren't asked back , along with other fairs.
One way or another the laws are going to have to change and if I have to stand alone then so be it but I'd like you the ones reading this to get involved because laws only change when people make law makers change them.
I don't feel the punishment for Barbara Harrod fit the crimes and should have been much more severe. Once again the animals died for a slap on the wrist and court costs. Where is the justice for the voiceless! This statement is my own personal feelings. After this case sat in the legal system with postponements for 3 years this was the outcome for the animals that suffered and died.Please help me to help the animals and be a voice with mine to demand answer from USDA and FWC. How many more animals have to die at the hands of the Harrods? When is enough, enough?
I am an animal advocate, a voice for the voiceless and I’m not going away. If I have to stand alone so be it, I have fought this ongoing night mare for the animals for 3 years and I have no intensions of going away any time soon.
Written by eye witness Chrissy Fischer
Email: witcheswand@yahoo.com
- 5 months ago
- Views: 152
- Not yet rated
-
Vanishing Species Barbara Jeff Vanishing Species Barbara Jeffrey Harrod
- From: Anon
-
Description:
Feb 9,2010 Barbara Harrod entered a no contest plea in front of Judge Ginger Lerner Wren Broward County Florida Court House. The judge found Barbara Harrod guilty of all 5 counts and sentenced her to 12 months of probation and she was ordered to pay court costs roughly in the amount of $1000.00. NO fine was given by the judge even though she could have done so.
Barbara Harrod often “gets” her baby tigers from Larry Wallach whom is licensed out of NY and Ft Lauderdale. Barbara uses these babies for pets then tosses them into a tiny cage for the rest of their lives which typically isn’t very long.
I have now released graphic video’s of what these animals had to endure every day at the Davie location of Vanishing Species under the lack of care of Barbara Harrod.The Sun- Sentinel also did three stories on Barbara Harrod and the property of Vanishing Species. Here’s the link to the latest story. If you type in Vanishing Species you’ll be able to locate David Fleshlers other stories on Vanishing Species.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-wildlife-violations-20100313,0,2508711.story
DAVIE An arthritic tiger failed to receive proper veterinary care. Small mammals housed in a shed died when the air conditioning broke down. Tigers disappeared without proper documentation.A Davie wildlife exhibitor has been accused of those violations in federal inspection reports.
She faces the possible loss of state and federal licenses, after years of using animals to entertain at schools, summer camps, fairs and parties.
Barbara Harrod, who operates Vanishing Species Wildlife Inc., pleaded no contest in February to state charges that she kept animals in unsanitary conditions, used cages that were too small and engaged in other wildlife violations.
She was assessed court costs, not fines.
But the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is reviewing the case to determine whether to suspend or revoke her license, said Capt. John West, of the agency's law enforcement division.
After a separate federal review, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said she has failed to comply with a federal consent order to move all big cats off her site.
The order was issued after inspectors found animals' food contaminated with blood and maggots, inadequate veterinary care, and tigers left unprotected from sun and rain.
The agreement signed last year gave her until July 31, 2009, to get big cats off her fenced compound along Southwest 136th Avenue in Davie.
However, visits by federal inspectors over the past several months found big cats still there and repeated violations of the laws requiring adequate care for the animals.
"It's been systematic noncompliance," said Nolan Lemon, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"The Animal Welfare Act details minimum standards — minimum standards," Lemon said. "These are repeat violations of those standards."
Harrod said she would answer questions only in writing. Questions were sent by e-mail March 3, but she never responded. Her lawyer, Marshall Platt, could not be reached to comment despite messages left by phone and e-mail.
Despite the agreement to move out big cats, a Feb. 4 inspection found two adult tigers and an adult cougar on the property.
Lemon said Harrod was in violation of the consent agreement.
"It's with our legal folks at this point," he said.
Inspections over the past several months have turned up other violations.
Several small mammals housed in a windowless structure died after the air conditioning failed, according to USDA inspection reports.
hree adult tigers disappeared without the required documentation showing to whom they were given or sold.
The Feb. 4 inspection found an adult tiger named Nicky limping and suffering from arthritis and not receiving adequate veterinary care. The attending veterinarian, who last signed a program of care in 2008, does not live in the area, according to the inspection report.
"It's not like owning a dog or a cat," Lemon said. "There are people who get in with the best intentions and they forget that Tigger is a dangerous animal with very demanding and expensive needs. Vet care is expensive, but you can't compromise on that."
David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4535.
Video Links
Warning these videos are graphic, I recommend not eating prior to viewing if you have a weaker stomach.These video’s are on you tube under vanishing species.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDq9vLf51io
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXW2Gz3YBJ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruby5Kyoo2Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGv6rR2fV0g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi8pyhZpmwc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKj8W8zCsEU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l5ap6EDI4M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVJVs3izR4E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYGQLoWfmtY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAmij5EUcuU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du9OOqCchZQ
Some of the animals in these pictures are now dead due to "unnatural" causes.
The Palmdale facility was closed to the public in Feb 2009 by the USDA after a plea agreement with Jeffery and Barbara Harrod owners of Vanishing Species was reached.
USDA fined the Harrods $27,000 for violations and citations at the Palmdale facility but after the plea deal USDA reduced the fines to $3,700.00 with $100.00 payments per month.
USDA didn't return to enforce the plea agreement. Through repeat calling Dr Goldentire , Dr Gibson whom is Dr Goldentire's boss and then calling Joe Nelson I was informed they couldn't discuss the case with me but this case is public record yet none would comment on the case.
In accordance to the public record of USDA it states all cats’ juveniles and adults must be removed off the Davie, Fl. location by July 31, 2009. It's now March 31, 2010 and still class 1 and 2 cats remained on that property. No enforcing of the USDA rules for the plea agreement.
Send a message to USDA to enforce their own plea agreements, revocate licenses, not allow exotic permits or licenses to be given out like candy unless more stringent rules such as testing, serving 500 hours in a vet office that deals with exotic animals, having 500 hours of apprentice experience with FWC and field work, pass a written test, produce 1000 hours of logged time working with exotic animals.
USDA doesn't care about the animals nor enforces their own plea deals.
CALL THESE PEOPLE TODAY!
DEMAND AN EXPLAINATION TO WHY VANISHING SPECIES CAN RETAIN EXOTIC ANIMAL PERMITS AND LICENSES WHEN THEY HAVE VIOLATED EVERY LAW FROM A-N. USDA HAS 2 FILE FOLDERS OF REPEAT VIOLATIONS; THEY HAVE EVEN FORDGED VET RECORDS AND HIDDEN DEATH OF THE ANIMALS, SALES OF THE ANIMALS AND TRANSPORTS OF ANIMALS. SINCE THE PALMDALE FACILITY IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC HOW CAN THEY EXHABIT LEGALLY! THEY CAN'T! ANOTHER LAW BROKEN BUT WHO'S LOOKING. I HOPE CAROL CAN ATTACH THE ORIGINAL PLEA AGREEMENT TO THIS ARTICLE I SENT HER.
The Key players with this disaster with USDA are:
CALL TODAY AND EXPRESS YOUR VOICE
_____________________________________
Dr Goldentire USDA District Manager: 919-855-7100, Fax: 919-855-7123
Dr Gibson, Dr Goldentire direct supervisor: 301-734-4980.
Joe Nelson: 919-855-7106You can access the Harrods inspection records at:
http://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/pdfpage.jspx?custid=9487
If this link doesn’t work type in aphis, then on the left side click on animal welfare, then
On the right side click on publication and reports, next you’ll get a “ warning “ page, just click except, it’s legal for you to look at public records, next your get a page with a box asking name your looking up type in Vanishing Species, under state type in florida hit enter. At the bottom you’ll click on the PDF file and there you go, all of the inspection reports by USDA.
Ask why they have not revoked the Harrods license with repeat violations. Last I checked forging vet records is still forgery and is a felony.
FWC has the green light to revoke Barbara Harrods license yet Captain John West out of Tallassee has done nothing at this point.
Please call: 850-488-6253
Demand answers why FWC won’t revoke Jeffery Harrods or Barbara Harrods license after repeat violations with their agency and numerous complains. They have my log book, video’s I shot that you can now view and still more animals continue to die from lack of vet care, lack of knowledge and lack of funding to buy food.
3 weeks ago Art Matson whom is the inspector for Vanishing Species called and said he had just preformed an inspection at Palmdale, he said he eye balled the tigers and said they looked happy and healthy, I questioned Arts inspection as to what paper work did he receive in regards to the transfer of 7 cougars to Jeffery Harrods friends. Art replied no he ever checked. Art indicated he never went to check on the transferred cougars and made sure their cages were up to FWC standards or checking the proper permits of the friends. I asked Art if he checked for food on the premise to ensure the tigers, lions, leopards and cougars had enough palatable food to feed them daily, Art replied no he did not check to see how much food was in the refrigerators or freezers.
I asked Art if he knew what the proper weight was for a Siberian tiger was, he replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew the proper weight for a Bengal tiger, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew what the percentage of food per animal and their weight was too been to feed daily, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he looked at any current vet records as a yearly vet check is needed, he replied no he did not.
Art Matson said to me and I quote” the tigers look happy and healthy”. I asked Art what does a happy and healthy tiger look like, he said he didn’t know. I said how do you know the tigers are healthy, are you a licensed veterinarian? He replied no he was not. I asked if a Bengal at proper weight was to weight 600 lbs, eyeballing the tiger how do you know it’s at proper weight? He said he didn’t know but said and I quote again” no bones were sticking out”. This I said would be past malnutrition this is called Emaciation.
Art Matson said to me he couldn’t find any violations or anything wrong yet never checked anything, just talked to Mr Harrod and left.
Concerned a proper inspection wasn’t done and biased friendships seemed to have gotten in Art Matson’s view I called Tallahassee and lodged a complaint against his “inspection”. The next week 2 state officials out of Tallahassee were sent to Palmdale and they discovered MANY, MANY violations!!! Odd how a week prior to that Art Matson said he couldn’t find one thing wrong.
Art Matson said he knows of a sanctuary out of Colorado called Wild Animal sanctuary and they were willing at their own expense bring in eight tractor trailers and take every cat the Harrods have to their rescue where they have set aside 250 acres giving each cat 20 acres to themselves with dens and water falls. Jeffery said he’d agree to it but the condition was he had to also give up his breeders license so this mess can’t be repeated down the road. Jeffery refuses to give up his breeders permits and indicated to Art he wanted to get more babies for money making opportunities. So this process will begin all over again.
From my sources Jeffery Harrod is planning on putting all the animals names in his girlfriends name but she doesn’t yet have a class 1 & 2 license however Jeffery indicated he was going to “ sign” saying she has her 1000 hours per species even though she has none logged and has no idea of animal husbandry.
This way Jeffery Harrod can manipulate the system again and gets to keep the cats.
Art Matson said to me Jeffery Harrod told him he was selling Palmdale by the end of his month, so I said to Captian Ardleen yesterday were at the end of the month is Palmdale sold, he said no Jeffery now said it’ll be at the end of the year. STALL, STALL, STALL!!!!
Right now according to Art Matson Jeffery Harrod has housed on the Palmdale property:
7 tigers7 cougars
2 lions
2 leopards
6 alligators
Host of other assorted animals from raccoons to pheasants, emu’s, goats, pigs, etc.
On the property of Palmdale one black leopard according to my close source died about 2 months ago, he was only 2 ½ years old. To my knowledge this animal was not listed on the inventory register as dead with FWC or USDA. No records were ever looked at by Art Matson to compare what animals were there last inspection verses what animals aren’t there this inspection. If sold where is the transfers paperwork and sellers book? Art said he never checked.
March 29, 2010 I received credible information Jeffery Harrod was housing a 3 week old baby cougar in his trailer, according to my inside source the baby is very ill and has diaherra. I was on the phone till after 2 am with a hot line operator whom was in communication with Captain Adleen whom indicated he and Pat Reynolds with FWC would be visiting Jeffery Harrods home and checking if the cougar was ok. He looked at the cat saw the diaherra asked Jeffery if he was going to seek medical attention with a vet at which time Jeffery answered no he wasn’t. He has this cougar baby according to my sources on whole cow’s milk, diluted with water and cat food mixed in. Jeffery indicated the baby is on cat formula and it’s common to remove the baby as soon as it’s born away from the mother. They believe Jeffery Harrod but took pictures
BARBARA HARRODS BROWARD COUNTY COURTHOUSE CASE RECORD
Link HERE
These three powerful people had the green light and authority to revocate ( strip these licenses and permits) but instead looked the other way and gave them a tap on the wrist while more animals suffered and died. The USDA and there laws are worthless to animals.
This is why I've been working to help shut down Vanishing Species because under there lack of proper animal care the species is truely vanishing.
Remember when viewing these animals some here in these pictures are now dead and no one cared!
Who know's what's become of the others in the pictures. Change needs to come to the laws governing who can and can't have exotic animals.
The Harrods have no formal education in attending college for animal husbandry also known as animal science, they have no formal training as a veterarian assistant or in veterinarian medicine, the Harrod's don't possess a master's degrees or doctorates in disciplines such as nutrition, genetics and animal breeding, or reproductive physiology. Yet The Harrods have been given permits for breeding and exhibition by FWC and USDA.
They were just simply given permits! So in essence you need no skill, training nor knowledge to possess and keep a tiger , cougar or leopard which is a class 1 animal!
You just need to “know" someone that already has a class 1 and 2 permit to sign for you stating you have the 1000 hours per species even if you never had 20 hours. You don't need to prove you have the knowledge you just have to produce a few bucks for the permits and off you go.
Unite your voice with mine and stand up to politics that condemn these sacred and endangered animals to a life in a small prison, there only crime was they were born.
Unfortunately these animals you see were only a commodity and expendable.
If one baby died and many did they'd just go BUY another tiger baby to exploit for money doing baby pets at fairs such as Dade County Youth Fair, Birthday parties , schools, and other private functions ,Saw Grass Rec Park where they used to exhibit some of these animals and used the baby tiger pictured here , lioness named " Savanna" and the bob cat for baby pets for money but had lost their contact there and weren't asked back , along with other fairs.
One way or another the laws are going to have to change and if I have to stand alone then so be it but I'd like you the ones reading this to get involved because laws only change when people make law makers change them.
I don't feel the punishment for Barbara Harrod fit the crimes and should have been much more severe. Once again the animals died for a slap on the wrist and court costs. Where is the justice for the voiceless! This statement is my own personal feelings. After this case sat in the legal system with postponements for 3 years this was the outcome for the animals that suffered and died.Please help me to help the animals and be a voice with mine to demand answer from USDA and FWC. How many more animals have to die at the hands of the Harrods? When is enough, enough?
I am an animal advocate, a voice for the voiceless and I’m not going away. If I have to stand alone so be it, I have fought this ongoing night mare for the animals for 3 years and I have no intensions of going away any time soon.
Written by eye witness Chrissy Fischer
Email: witcheswand@yahoo.com
- 5 months ago
- Views: 158
- Not yet rated
-
Vanishing Species Barbara Jeff Vanishing Species Barbara Jeffrey Harrod
- From: Anon
-
Description:
Feb 9,2010 Barbara Harrod entered a no contest plea in front of Judge Ginger Lerner Wren Broward County Florida Court House. The judge found Barbara Harrod guilty of all 5 counts and sentenced her to 12 months of probation and she was ordered to pay court costs roughly in the amount of $1000.00. NO fine was given by the judge even though she could have done so.
Barbara Harrod often “gets” her baby tigers from Larry Wallach whom is licensed out of NY and Ft Lauderdale. Barbara uses these babies for pets then tosses them into a tiny cage for the rest of their lives which typically isn’t very long.
I have now released graphic video’s of what these animals had to endure every day at the Davie location of Vanishing Species under the lack of care of Barbara Harrod.The Sun- Sentinel also did three stories on Barbara Harrod and the property of Vanishing Species. Here’s the link to the latest story. If you type in Vanishing Species you’ll be able to locate David Fleshlers other stories on Vanishing Species.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-wildlife-violations-20100313,0,2508711.story
DAVIE An arthritic tiger failed to receive proper veterinary care. Small mammals housed in a shed died when the air conditioning broke down. Tigers disappeared without proper documentation.A Davie wildlife exhibitor has been accused of those violations in federal inspection reports.
She faces the possible loss of state and federal licenses, after years of using animals to entertain at schools, summer camps, fairs and parties.
Barbara Harrod, who operates Vanishing Species Wildlife Inc., pleaded no contest in February to state charges that she kept animals in unsanitary conditions, used cages that were too small and engaged in other wildlife violations.
She was assessed court costs, not fines.
But the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is reviewing the case to determine whether to suspend or revoke her license, said Capt. John West, of the agency's law enforcement division.
After a separate federal review, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said she has failed to comply with a federal consent order to move all big cats off her site.
The order was issued after inspectors found animals' food contaminated with blood and maggots, inadequate veterinary care, and tigers left unprotected from sun and rain.
The agreement signed last year gave her until July 31, 2009, to get big cats off her fenced compound along Southwest 136th Avenue in Davie.
However, visits by federal inspectors over the past several months found big cats still there and repeated violations of the laws requiring adequate care for the animals.
"It's been systematic noncompliance," said Nolan Lemon, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"The Animal Welfare Act details minimum standards — minimum standards," Lemon said. "These are repeat violations of those standards."
Harrod said she would answer questions only in writing. Questions were sent by e-mail March 3, but she never responded. Her lawyer, Marshall Platt, could not be reached to comment despite messages left by phone and e-mail.
Despite the agreement to move out big cats, a Feb. 4 inspection found two adult tigers and an adult cougar on the property.
Lemon said Harrod was in violation of the consent agreement.
"It's with our legal folks at this point," he said.
Inspections over the past several months have turned up other violations.
Several small mammals housed in a windowless structure died after the air conditioning failed, according to USDA inspection reports.
hree adult tigers disappeared without the required documentation showing to whom they were given or sold.
The Feb. 4 inspection found an adult tiger named Nicky limping and suffering from arthritis and not receiving adequate veterinary care. The attending veterinarian, who last signed a program of care in 2008, does not live in the area, according to the inspection report.
"It's not like owning a dog or a cat," Lemon said. "There are people who get in with the best intentions and they forget that Tigger is a dangerous animal with very demanding and expensive needs. Vet care is expensive, but you can't compromise on that."
David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4535.
Video Links
Warning these videos are graphic, I recommend not eating prior to viewing if you have a weaker stomach.These video’s are on you tube under vanishing species.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDq9vLf51io
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXW2Gz3YBJ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruby5Kyoo2Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGv6rR2fV0g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi8pyhZpmwc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKj8W8zCsEU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l5ap6EDI4M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVJVs3izR4E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYGQLoWfmtY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAmij5EUcuU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du9OOqCchZQ
Some of the animals in these pictures are now dead due to "unnatural" causes.
The Palmdale facility was closed to the public in Feb 2009 by the USDA after a plea agreement with Jeffery and Barbara Harrod owners of Vanishing Species was reached.
USDA fined the Harrods $27,000 for violations and citations at the Palmdale facility but after the plea deal USDA reduced the fines to $3,700.00 with $100.00 payments per month.
USDA didn't return to enforce the plea agreement. Through repeat calling Dr Goldentire , Dr Gibson whom is Dr Goldentire's boss and then calling Joe Nelson I was informed they couldn't discuss the case with me but this case is public record yet none would comment on the case.
In accordance to the public record of USDA it states all cats’ juveniles and adults must be removed off the Davie, Fl. location by July 31, 2009. It's now March 31, 2010 and still class 1 and 2 cats remained on that property. No enforcing of the USDA rules for the plea agreement.
Send a message to USDA to enforce their own plea agreements, revocate licenses, not allow exotic permits or licenses to be given out like candy unless more stringent rules such as testing, serving 500 hours in a vet office that deals with exotic animals, having 500 hours of apprentice experience with FWC and field work, pass a written test, produce 1000 hours of logged time working with exotic animals.
USDA doesn't care about the animals nor enforces their own plea deals.
CALL THESE PEOPLE TODAY!
DEMAND AN EXPLAINATION TO WHY VANISHING SPECIES CAN RETAIN EXOTIC ANIMAL PERMITS AND LICENSES WHEN THEY HAVE VIOLATED EVERY LAW FROM A-N. USDA HAS 2 FILE FOLDERS OF REPEAT VIOLATIONS; THEY HAVE EVEN FORDGED VET RECORDS AND HIDDEN DEATH OF THE ANIMALS, SALES OF THE ANIMALS AND TRANSPORTS OF ANIMALS. SINCE THE PALMDALE FACILITY IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC HOW CAN THEY EXHABIT LEGALLY! THEY CAN'T! ANOTHER LAW BROKEN BUT WHO'S LOOKING. I HOPE CAROL CAN ATTACH THE ORIGINAL PLEA AGREEMENT TO THIS ARTICLE I SENT HER.
The Key players with this disaster with USDA are:
CALL TODAY AND EXPRESS YOUR VOICE
_____________________________________
Dr Goldentire USDA District Manager: 919-855-7100, Fax: 919-855-7123
Dr Gibson, Dr Goldentire direct supervisor: 301-734-4980.
Joe Nelson: 919-855-7106You can access the Harrods inspection records at:
http://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/pdfpage.jspx?custid=9487
If this link doesn’t work type in aphis, then on the left side click on animal welfare, then
On the right side click on publication and reports, next you’ll get a “ warning “ page, just click except, it’s legal for you to look at public records, next your get a page with a box asking name your looking up type in Vanishing Species, under state type in florida hit enter. At the bottom you’ll click on the PDF file and there you go, all of the inspection reports by USDA.
Ask why they have not revoked the Harrods license with repeat violations. Last I checked forging vet records is still forgery and is a felony.
FWC has the green light to revoke Barbara Harrods license yet Captain John West out of Tallassee has done nothing at this point.
Please call: 850-488-6253
Demand answers why FWC won’t revoke Jeffery Harrods or Barbara Harrods license after repeat violations with their agency and numerous complains. They have my log book, video’s I shot that you can now view and still more animals continue to die from lack of vet care, lack of knowledge and lack of funding to buy food.
3 weeks ago Art Matson whom is the inspector for Vanishing Species called and said he had just preformed an inspection at Palmdale, he said he eye balled the tigers and said they looked happy and healthy, I questioned Arts inspection as to what paper work did he receive in regards to the transfer of 7 cougars to Jeffery Harrods friends. Art replied no he ever checked. Art indicated he never went to check on the transferred cougars and made sure their cages were up to FWC standards or checking the proper permits of the friends. I asked Art if he checked for food on the premise to ensure the tigers, lions, leopards and cougars had enough palatable food to feed them daily, Art replied no he did not check to see how much food was in the refrigerators or freezers.
I asked Art if he knew what the proper weight was for a Siberian tiger was, he replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew the proper weight for a Bengal tiger, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew what the percentage of food per animal and their weight was too been to feed daily, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he looked at any current vet records as a yearly vet check is needed, he replied no he did not.
Art Matson said to me and I quote” the tigers look happy and healthy”. I asked Art what does a happy and healthy tiger look like, he said he didn’t know. I said how do you know the tigers are healthy, are you a licensed veterinarian? He replied no he was not. I asked if a Bengal at proper weight was to weight 600 lbs, eyeballing the tiger how do you know it’s at proper weight? He said he didn’t know but said and I quote again” no bones were sticking out”. This I said would be past malnutrition this is called Emaciation.
Art Matson said to me he couldn’t find any violations or anything wrong yet never checked anything, just talked to Mr Harrod and left.
Concerned a proper inspection wasn’t done and biased friendships seemed to have gotten in Art Matson’s view I called Tallahassee and lodged a complaint against his “inspection”. The next week 2 state officials out of Tallahassee were sent to Palmdale and they discovered MANY, MANY violations!!! Odd how a week prior to that Art Matson said he couldn’t find one thing wrong.
Art Matson said he knows of a sanctuary out of Colorado called Wild Animal sanctuary and they were willing at their own expense bring in eight tractor trailers and take every cat the Harrods have to their rescue where they have set aside 250 acres giving each cat 20 acres to themselves with dens and water falls. Jeffery said he’d agree to it but the condition was he had to also give up his breeders license so this mess can’t be repeated down the road. Jeffery refuses to give up his breeders permits and indicated to Art he wanted to get more babies for money making opportunities. So this process will begin all over again.
From my sources Jeffery Harrod is planning on putting all the animals names in his girlfriends name but she doesn’t yet have a class 1 & 2 license however Jeffery indicated he was going to “ sign” saying she has her 1000 hours per species even though she has none logged and has no idea of animal husbandry.
This way Jeffery Harrod can manipulate the system again and gets to keep the cats.
Art Matson said to me Jeffery Harrod told him he was selling Palmdale by the end of his month, so I said to Captian Ardleen yesterday were at the end of the month is Palmdale sold, he said no Jeffery now said it’ll be at the end of the year. STALL, STALL, STALL!!!!
Right now according to Art Matson Jeffery Harrod has housed on the Palmdale property:
7 tigers7 cougars
2 lions
2 leopards
6 alligators
Host of other assorted animals from raccoons to pheasants, emu’s, goats, pigs, etc.
On the property of Palmdale one black leopard according to my close source died about 2 months ago, he was only 2 ½ years old. To my knowledge this animal was not listed on the inventory register as dead with FWC or USDA. No records were ever looked at by Art Matson to compare what animals were there last inspection verses what animals aren’t there this inspection. If sold where is the transfers paperwork and sellers book? Art said he never checked.
March 29, 2010 I received credible information Jeffery Harrod was housing a 3 week old baby cougar in his trailer, according to my inside source the baby is very ill and has diaherra. I was on the phone till after 2 am with a hot line operator whom was in communication with Captain Adleen whom indicated he and Pat Reynolds with FWC would be visiting Jeffery Harrods home and checking if the cougar was ok. He looked at the cat saw the diaherra asked Jeffery if he was going to seek medical attention with a vet at which time Jeffery answered no he wasn’t. He has this cougar baby according to my sources on whole cow’s milk, diluted with water and cat food mixed in. Jeffery indicated the baby is on cat formula and it’s common to remove the baby as soon as it’s born away from the mother. They believe Jeffery Harrod but took pictures
BARBARA HARRODS BROWARD COUNTY COURTHOUSE CASE RECORD
Link HERE
These three powerful people had the green light and authority to revocate ( strip these licenses and permits) but instead looked the other way and gave them a tap on the wrist while more animals suffered and died. The USDA and there laws are worthless to animals.
This is why I've been working to help shut down Vanishing Species because under there lack of proper animal care the species is truely vanishing.
Remember when viewing these animals some here in these pictures are now dead and no one cared!
Who know's what's become of the others in the pictures. Change needs to come to the laws governing who can and can't have exotic animals.
The Harrods have no formal education in attending college for animal husbandry also known as animal science, they have no formal training as a veterarian assistant or in veterinarian medicine, the Harrod's don't possess a master's degrees or doctorates in disciplines such as nutrition, genetics and animal breeding, or reproductive physiology. Yet The Harrods have been given permits for breeding and exhibition by FWC and USDA.
They were just simply given permits! So in essence you need no skill, training nor knowledge to possess and keep a tiger , cougar or leopard which is a class 1 animal!
You just need to “know" someone that already has a class 1 and 2 permit to sign for you stating you have the 1000 hours per species even if you never had 20 hours. You don't need to prove you have the knowledge you just have to produce a few bucks for the permits and off you go.
Unite your voice with mine and stand up to politics that condemn these sacred and endangered animals to a life in a small prison, there only crime was they were born.
Unfortunately these animals you see were only a commodity and expendable.
If one baby died and many did they'd just go BUY another tiger baby to exploit for money doing baby pets at fairs such as Dade County Youth Fair, Birthday parties , schools, and other private functions ,Saw Grass Rec Park where they used to exhibit some of these animals and used the baby tiger pictured here , lioness named " Savanna" and the bob cat for baby pets for money but had lost their contact there and weren't asked back , along with other fairs.
One way or another the laws are going to have to change and if I have to stand alone then so be it but I'd like you the ones reading this to get involved because laws only change when people make law makers change them.
I don't feel the punishment for Barbara Harrod fit the crimes and should have been much more severe. Once again the animals died for a slap on the wrist and court costs. Where is the justice for the voiceless! This statement is my own personal feelings. After this case sat in the legal system with postponements for 3 years this was the outcome for the animals that suffered and died.Please help me to help the animals and be a voice with mine to demand answer from USDA and FWC. How many more animals have to die at the hands of the Harrods? When is enough, enough?
I am an animal advocate, a voice for the voiceless and I’m not going away. If I have to stand alone so be it, I have fought this ongoing night mare for the animals for 3 years and I have no intensions of going away any time soon.
Written by eye witness Chrissy Fischer
Email: witcheswand@yahoo.com
- 5 months ago
- Views: 103
- Not yet rated
-
Vanishing Species Barbara Jeff Vanishing Species Barbara Jeffrey Harrod
- From: Anon
-
Description:
Feb 9,2010 Barbara Harrod entered a no contest plea in front of Judge Ginger Lerner Wren Broward County Florida Court House. The judge found Barbara Harrod guilty of all 5 counts and sentenced her to 12 months of probation and she was ordered to pay court costs roughly in the amount of $1000.00. NO fine was given by the judge even though she could have done so.
Barbara Harrod often “gets” her baby tigers from Larry Wallach whom is licensed out of NY and Ft Lauderdale. Barbara uses these babies for pets then tosses them into a tiny cage for the rest of their lives which typically isn’t very long.
I have now released graphic video’s of what these animals had to endure every day at the Davie location of Vanishing Species under the lack of care of Barbara Harrod.The Sun- Sentinel also did three stories on Barbara Harrod and the property of Vanishing Species. Here’s the link to the latest story. If you type in Vanishing Species you’ll be able to locate David Fleshlers other stories on Vanishing Species.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-wildlife-violations-20100313,0,2508711.story
DAVIE An arthritic tiger failed to receive proper veterinary care. Small mammals housed in a shed died when the air conditioning broke down. Tigers disappeared without proper documentation.A Davie wildlife exhibitor has been accused of those violations in federal inspection reports.
She faces the possible loss of state and federal licenses, after years of using animals to entertain at schools, summer camps, fairs and parties.
Barbara Harrod, who operates Vanishing Species Wildlife Inc., pleaded no contest in February to state charges that she kept animals in unsanitary conditions, used cages that were too small and engaged in other wildlife violations.
She was assessed court costs, not fines.
But the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is reviewing the case to determine whether to suspend or revoke her license, said Capt. John West, of the agency's law enforcement division.
After a separate federal review, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said she has failed to comply with a federal consent order to move all big cats off her site.
The order was issued after inspectors found animals' food contaminated with blood and maggots, inadequate veterinary care, and tigers left unprotected from sun and rain.
The agreement signed last year gave her until July 31, 2009, to get big cats off her fenced compound along Southwest 136th Avenue in Davie.
However, visits by federal inspectors over the past several months found big cats still there and repeated violations of the laws requiring adequate care for the animals.
"It's been systematic noncompliance," said Nolan Lemon, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"The Animal Welfare Act details minimum standards — minimum standards," Lemon said. "These are repeat violations of those standards."
Harrod said she would answer questions only in writing. Questions were sent by e-mail March 3, but she never responded. Her lawyer, Marshall Platt, could not be reached to comment despite messages left by phone and e-mail.
Despite the agreement to move out big cats, a Feb. 4 inspection found two adult tigers and an adult cougar on the property.
Lemon said Harrod was in violation of the consent agreement.
"It's with our legal folks at this point," he said.
Inspections over the past several months have turned up other violations.
Several small mammals housed in a windowless structure died after the air conditioning failed, according to USDA inspection reports.
hree adult tigers disappeared without the required documentation showing to whom they were given or sold.
The Feb. 4 inspection found an adult tiger named Nicky limping and suffering from arthritis and not receiving adequate veterinary care. The attending veterinarian, who last signed a program of care in 2008, does not live in the area, according to the inspection report.
"It's not like owning a dog or a cat," Lemon said. "There are people who get in with the best intentions and they forget that Tigger is a dangerous animal with very demanding and expensive needs. Vet care is expensive, but you can't compromise on that."
David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4535.
Video Links
Warning these videos are graphic, I recommend not eating prior to viewing if you have a weaker stomach.These video’s are on you tube under vanishing species.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDq9vLf51io
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXW2Gz3YBJ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruby5Kyoo2Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGv6rR2fV0g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi8pyhZpmwc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKj8W8zCsEU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l5ap6EDI4M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVJVs3izR4E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYGQLoWfmtY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAmij5EUcuU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du9OOqCchZQ
Some of the animals in these pictures are now dead due to "unnatural" causes.
The Palmdale facility was closed to the public in Feb 2009 by the USDA after a plea agreement with Jeffery and Barbara Harrod owners of Vanishing Species was reached.
USDA fined the Harrods $27,000 for violations and citations at the Palmdale facility but after the plea deal USDA reduced the fines to $3,700.00 with $100.00 payments per month.
USDA didn't return to enforce the plea agreement. Through repeat calling Dr Goldentire , Dr Gibson whom is Dr Goldentire's boss and then calling Joe Nelson I was informed they couldn't discuss the case with me but this case is public record yet none would comment on the case.
In accordance to the public record of USDA it states all cats’ juveniles and adults must be removed off the Davie, Fl. location by July 31, 2009. It's now March 31, 2010 and still class 1 and 2 cats remained on that property. No enforcing of the USDA rules for the plea agreement.
Send a message to USDA to enforce their own plea agreements, revocate licenses, not allow exotic permits or licenses to be given out like candy unless more stringent rules such as testing, serving 500 hours in a vet office that deals with exotic animals, having 500 hours of apprentice experience with FWC and field work, pass a written test, produce 1000 hours of logged time working with exotic animals.
USDA doesn't care about the animals nor enforces their own plea deals.
CALL THESE PEOPLE TODAY!
DEMAND AN EXPLAINATION TO WHY VANISHING SPECIES CAN RETAIN EXOTIC ANIMAL PERMITS AND LICENSES WHEN THEY HAVE VIOLATED EVERY LAW FROM A-N. USDA HAS 2 FILE FOLDERS OF REPEAT VIOLATIONS; THEY HAVE EVEN FORDGED VET RECORDS AND HIDDEN DEATH OF THE ANIMALS, SALES OF THE ANIMALS AND TRANSPORTS OF ANIMALS. SINCE THE PALMDALE FACILITY IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC HOW CAN THEY EXHABIT LEGALLY! THEY CAN'T! ANOTHER LAW BROKEN BUT WHO'S LOOKING. I HOPE CAROL CAN ATTACH THE ORIGINAL PLEA AGREEMENT TO THIS ARTICLE I SENT HER.
The Key players with this disaster with USDA are:
CALL TODAY AND EXPRESS YOUR VOICE
_____________________________________
Dr Goldentire USDA District Manager: 919-855-7100, Fax: 919-855-7123
Dr Gibson, Dr Goldentire direct supervisor: 301-734-4980.
Joe Nelson: 919-855-7106You can access the Harrods inspection records at:
http://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/pdfpage.jspx?custid=9487
If this link doesn’t work type in aphis, then on the left side click on animal welfare, then
On the right side click on publication and reports, next you’ll get a “ warning “ page, just click except, it’s legal for you to look at public records, next your get a page with a box asking name your looking up type in Vanishing Species, under state type in florida hit enter. At the bottom you’ll click on the PDF file and there you go, all of the inspection reports by USDA.
Ask why they have not revoked the Harrods license with repeat violations. Last I checked forging vet records is still forgery and is a felony.
FWC has the green light to revoke Barbara Harrods license yet Captain John West out of Tallassee has done nothing at this point.
Please call: 850-488-6253
Demand answers why FWC won’t revoke Jeffery Harrods or Barbara Harrods license after repeat violations with their agency and numerous complains. They have my log book, video’s I shot that you can now view and still more animals continue to die from lack of vet care, lack of knowledge and lack of funding to buy food.
3 weeks ago Art Matson whom is the inspector for Vanishing Species called and said he had just preformed an inspection at Palmdale, he said he eye balled the tigers and said they looked happy and healthy, I questioned Arts inspection as to what paper work did he receive in regards to the transfer of 7 cougars to Jeffery Harrods friends. Art replied no he ever checked. Art indicated he never went to check on the transferred cougars and made sure their cages were up to FWC standards or checking the proper permits of the friends. I asked Art if he checked for food on the premise to ensure the tigers, lions, leopards and cougars had enough palatable food to feed them daily, Art replied no he did not check to see how much food was in the refrigerators or freezers.
I asked Art if he knew what the proper weight was for a Siberian tiger was, he replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew the proper weight for a Bengal tiger, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew what the percentage of food per animal and their weight was too been to feed daily, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he looked at any current vet records as a yearly vet check is needed, he replied no he did not.
Art Matson said to me and I quote” the tigers look happy and healthy”. I asked Art what does a happy and healthy tiger look like, he said he didn’t know. I said how do you know the tigers are healthy, are you a licensed veterinarian? He replied no he was not. I asked if a Bengal at proper weight was to weight 600 lbs, eyeballing the tiger how do you know it’s at proper weight? He said he didn’t know but said and I quote again” no bones were sticking out”. This I said would be past malnutrition this is called Emaciation.
Art Matson said to me he couldn’t find any violations or anything wrong yet never checked anything, just talked to Mr Harrod and left.
Concerned a proper inspection wasn’t done and biased friendships seemed to have gotten in Art Matson’s view I called Tallahassee and lodged a complaint against his “inspection”. The next week 2 state officials out of Tallahassee were sent to Palmdale and they discovered MANY, MANY violations!!! Odd how a week prior to that Art Matson said he couldn’t find one thing wrong.
Art Matson said he knows of a sanctuary out of Colorado called Wild Animal sanctuary and they were willing at their own expense bring in eight tractor trailers and take every cat the Harrods have to their rescue where they have set aside 250 acres giving each cat 20 acres to themselves with dens and water falls. Jeffery said he’d agree to it but the condition was he had to also give up his breeders license so this mess can’t be repeated down the road. Jeffery refuses to give up his breeders permits and indicated to Art he wanted to get more babies for money making opportunities. So this process will begin all over again.
From my sources Jeffery Harrod is planning on putting all the animals names in his girlfriends name but she doesn’t yet have a class 1 & 2 license however Jeffery indicated he was going to “ sign” saying she has her 1000 hours per species even though she has none logged and has no idea of animal husbandry.
This way Jeffery Harrod can manipulate the system again and gets to keep the cats.
Art Matson said to me Jeffery Harrod told him he was selling Palmdale by the end of his month, so I said to Captian Ardleen yesterday were at the end of the month is Palmdale sold, he said no Jeffery now said it’ll be at the end of the year. STALL, STALL, STALL!!!!
Right now according to Art Matson Jeffery Harrod has housed on the Palmdale property:
7 tigers7 cougars
2 lions
2 leopards
6 alligators
Host of other assorted animals from raccoons to pheasants, emu’s, goats, pigs, etc.
On the property of Palmdale one black leopard according to my close source died about 2 months ago, he was only 2 ½ years old. To my knowledge this animal was not listed on the inventory register as dead with FWC or USDA. No records were ever looked at by Art Matson to compare what animals were there last inspection verses what animals aren’t there this inspection. If sold where is the transfers paperwork and sellers book? Art said he never checked.
March 29, 2010 I received credible information Jeffery Harrod was housing a 3 week old baby cougar in his trailer, according to my inside source the baby is very ill and has diaherra. I was on the phone till after 2 am with a hot line operator whom was in communication with Captain Adleen whom indicated he and Pat Reynolds with FWC would be visiting Jeffery Harrods home and checking if the cougar was ok. He looked at the cat saw the diaherra asked Jeffery if he was going to seek medical attention with a vet at which time Jeffery answered no he wasn’t. He has this cougar baby according to my sources on whole cow’s milk, diluted with water and cat food mixed in. Jeffery indicated the baby is on cat formula and it’s common to remove the baby as soon as it’s born away from the mother. They believe Jeffery Harrod but took pictures
BARBARA HARRODS BROWARD COUNTY COURTHOUSE CASE RECORD
Link HERE
These three powerful people had the green light and authority to revocate ( strip these licenses and permits) but instead looked the other way and gave them a tap on the wrist while more animals suffered and died. The USDA and there laws are worthless to animals.
This is why I've been working to help shut down Vanishing Species because under there lack of proper animal care the species is truely vanishing.
Remember when viewing these animals some here in these pictures are now dead and no one cared!
Who know's what's become of the others in the pictures. Change needs to come to the laws governing who can and can't have exotic animals.
The Harrods have no formal education in attending college for animal husbandry also known as animal science, they have no formal training as a veterarian assistant or in veterinarian medicine, the Harrod's don't possess a master's degrees or doctorates in disciplines such as nutrition, genetics and animal breeding, or reproductive physiology. Yet The Harrods have been given permits for breeding and exhibition by FWC and USDA.
They were just simply given permits! So in essence you need no skill, training nor knowledge to possess and keep a tiger , cougar or leopard which is a class 1 animal!
You just need to “know" someone that already has a class 1 and 2 permit to sign for you stating you have the 1000 hours per species even if you never had 20 hours. You don't need to prove you have the knowledge you just have to produce a few bucks for the permits and off you go.
Unite your voice with mine and stand up to politics that condemn these sacred and endangered animals to a life in a small prison, there only crime was they were born.
Unfortunately these animals you see were only a commodity and expendable.
If one baby died and many did they'd just go BUY another tiger baby to exploit for money doing baby pets at fairs such as Dade County Youth Fair, Birthday parties , schools, and other private functions ,Saw Grass Rec Park where they used to exhibit some of these animals and used the baby tiger pictured here , lioness named " Savanna" and the bob cat for baby pets for money but had lost their contact there and weren't asked back , along with other fairs.
One way or another the laws are going to have to change and if I have to stand alone then so be it but I'd like you the ones reading this to get involved because laws only change when people make law makers change them.
I don't feel the punishment for Barbara Harrod fit the crimes and should have been much more severe. Once again the animals died for a slap on the wrist and court costs. Where is the justice for the voiceless! This statement is my own personal feelings. After this case sat in the legal system with postponements for 3 years this was the outcome for the animals that suffered and died.Please help me to help the animals and be a voice with mine to demand answer from USDA and FWC. How many more animals have to die at the hands of the Harrods? When is enough, enough?
I am an animal advocate, a voice for the voiceless and I’m not going away. If I have to stand alone so be it, I have fought this ongoing night mare for the animals for 3 years and I have no intensions of going away any time soon.
Written by eye witness Chrissy Fischer
Email: witcheswand@yahoo.com
- 5 months ago
- Views: 144
- Not yet rated
-
Abuse at Vanishing Species Abuse at Vanishing Species
- From: Anon
-
Description:
Feb 9,2010 Barbara Harrod entered a no contest plea in front of Judge Ginger Lerner Wren Broward County Florida Court House. The judge found Barbara Harrod guilty of all 5 counts and sentenced her to 12 months of probation and she was ordered to pay court costs roughly in the amount of $1000.00. NO fine was given by the judge even though she could have done so.
Barbara Harrod often “gets” her baby tigers from Larry Wallach whom is licensed out of NY and Ft Lauderdale. Barbara uses these babies for pets then tosses them into a tiny cage for the rest of their lives which typically isn’t very long.
I have now released graphic video’s of what these animals had to endure every day at the Davie location of Vanishing Species under the lack of care of Barbara Harrod.The Sun- Sentinel also did three stories on Barbara Harrod and the property of Vanishing Species. Here’s the link to the latest story. If you type in Vanishing Species you’ll be able to locate David Fleshlers other stories on Vanishing Species.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-wildlife-violations-20100313,0,2508711.story
DAVIE An arthritic tiger failed to receive proper veterinary care. Small mammals housed in a shed died when the air conditioning broke down. Tigers disappeared without proper documentation.A Davie wildlife exhibitor has been accused of those violations in federal inspection reports.
She faces the possible loss of state and federal licenses, after years of using animals to entertain at schools, summer camps, fairs and parties.
Barbara Harrod, who operates Vanishing Species Wildlife Inc., pleaded no contest in February to state charges that she kept animals in unsanitary conditions, used cages that were too small and engaged in other wildlife violations.
She was assessed court costs, not fines.
But the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is reviewing the case to determine whether to suspend or revoke her license, said Capt. John West, of the agency's law enforcement division.
After a separate federal review, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said she has failed to comply with a federal consent order to move all big cats off her site.
The order was issued after inspectors found animals' food contaminated with blood and maggots, inadequate veterinary care, and tigers left unprotected from sun and rain.
The agreement signed last year gave her until July 31, 2009, to get big cats off her fenced compound along Southwest 136th Avenue in Davie.
However, visits by federal inspectors over the past several months found big cats still there and repeated violations of the laws requiring adequate care for the animals.
"It's been systematic noncompliance," said Nolan Lemon, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"The Animal Welfare Act details minimum standards — minimum standards," Lemon said. "These are repeat violations of those standards."
Harrod said she would answer questions only in writing. Questions were sent by e-mail March 3, but she never responded. Her lawyer, Marshall Platt, could not be reached to comment despite messages left by phone and e-mail.
Despite the agreement to move out big cats, a Feb. 4 inspection found two adult tigers and an adult cougar on the property.
Lemon said Harrod was in violation of the consent agreement.
"It's with our legal folks at this point," he said.
Inspections over the past several months have turned up other violations.
Several small mammals housed in a windowless structure died after the air conditioning failed, according to USDA inspection reports.
hree adult tigers disappeared without the required documentation showing to whom they were given or sold.
The Feb. 4 inspection found an adult tiger named Nicky limping and suffering from arthritis and not receiving adequate veterinary care. The attending veterinarian, who last signed a program of care in 2008, does not live in the area, according to the inspection report.
"It's not like owning a dog or a cat," Lemon said. "There are people who get in with the best intentions and they forget that Tigger is a dangerous animal with very demanding and expensive needs. Vet care is expensive, but you can't compromise on that."
David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4535.
Video Links
Warning these videos are graphic, I recommend not eating prior to viewing if you have a weaker stomach.These video’s are on you tube under vanishing species.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDq9vLf51io
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXW2Gz3YBJ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruby5Kyoo2Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGv6rR2fV0g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi8pyhZpmwc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKj8W8zCsEU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l5ap6EDI4M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVJVs3izR4E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYGQLoWfmtY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAmij5EUcuU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du9OOqCchZQ
Some of the animals in these pictures are now dead due to "unnatural" causes.
The Palmdale facility was closed to the public in Feb 2009 by the USDA after a plea agreement with Jeffery and Barbara Harrod owners of Vanishing Species was reached.
USDA fined the Harrods $27,000 for violations and citations at the Palmdale facility but after the plea deal USDA reduced the fines to $3,700.00 with $100.00 payments per month.
USDA didn't return to enforce the plea agreement. Through repeat calling Dr Goldentire , Dr Gibson whom is Dr Goldentire's boss and then calling Joe Nelson I was informed they couldn't discuss the case with me but this case is public record yet none would comment on the case.
In accordance to the public record of USDA it states all cats’ juveniles and adults must be removed off the Davie, Fl. location by July 31, 2009. It's now March 31, 2010 and still class 1 and 2 cats remained on that property. No enforcing of the USDA rules for the plea agreement.
Send a message to USDA to enforce their own plea agreements, revocate licenses, not allow exotic permits or licenses to be given out like candy unless more stringent rules such as testing, serving 500 hours in a vet office that deals with exotic animals, having 500 hours of apprentice experience with FWC and field work, pass a written test, produce 1000 hours of logged time working with exotic animals.
USDA doesn't care about the animals nor enforces their own plea deals.
CALL THESE PEOPLE TODAY!
DEMAND AN EXPLAINATION TO WHY VANISHING SPECIES CAN RETAIN EXOTIC ANIMAL PERMITS AND LICENSES WHEN THEY HAVE VIOLATED EVERY LAW FROM A-N. USDA HAS 2 FILE FOLDERS OF REPEAT VIOLATIONS; THEY HAVE EVEN FORDGED VET RECORDS AND HIDDEN DEATH OF THE ANIMALS, SALES OF THE ANIMALS AND TRANSPORTS OF ANIMALS. SINCE THE PALMDALE FACILITY IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC HOW CAN THEY EXHABIT LEGALLY! THEY CAN'T! ANOTHER LAW BROKEN BUT WHO'S LOOKING. I HOPE CAROL CAN ATTACH THE ORIGINAL PLEA AGREEMENT TO THIS ARTICLE I SENT HER.
The Key players with this disaster with USDA are:
CALL TODAY AND EXPRESS YOUR VOICE
_____________________________________
Dr Goldentire USDA District Manager: 919-855-7100, Fax: 919-855-7123
Dr Gibson, Dr Goldentire direct supervisor: 301-734-4980.
Joe Nelson: 919-855-7106You can access the Harrods inspection records at:
http://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/pdfpage.jspx?custid=9487
If this link doesn’t work type in aphis, then on the left side click on animal welfare, then
On the right side click on publication and reports, next you’ll get a “ warning “ page, just click except, it’s legal for you to look at public records, next your get a page with a box asking name your looking up type in Vanishing Species, under state type in florida hit enter. At the bottom you’ll click on the PDF file and there you go, all of the inspection reports by USDA.
Ask why they have not revoked the Harrods license with repeat violations. Last I checked forging vet records is still forgery and is a felony.
FWC has the green light to revoke Barbara Harrods license yet Captain John West out of Tallassee has done nothing at this point.
Please call: 850-488-6253
Demand answers why FWC won’t revoke Jeffery Harrods or Barbara Harrods license after repeat violations with their agency and numerous complains. They have my log book, video’s I shot that you can now view and still more animals continue to die from lack of vet care, lack of knowledge and lack of funding to buy food.
3 weeks ago Art Matson whom is the inspector for Vanishing Species called and said he had just preformed an inspection at Palmdale, he said he eye balled the tigers and said they looked happy and healthy, I questioned Arts inspection as to what paper work did he receive in regards to the transfer of 7 cougars to Jeffery Harrods friends. Art replied no he ever checked. Art indicated he never went to check on the transferred cougars and made sure their cages were up to FWC standards or checking the proper permits of the friends. I asked Art if he checked for food on the premise to ensure the tigers, lions, leopards and cougars had enough palatable food to feed them daily, Art replied no he did not check to see how much food was in the refrigerators or freezers.
I asked Art if he knew what the proper weight was for a Siberian tiger was, he replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew the proper weight for a Bengal tiger, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew what the percentage of food per animal and their weight was too been to feed daily, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he looked at any current vet records as a yearly vet check is needed, he replied no he did not.
Art Matson said to me and I quote” the tigers look happy and healthy”. I asked Art what does a happy and healthy tiger look like, he said he didn’t know. I said how do you know the tigers are healthy, are you a licensed veterinarian? He replied no he was not. I asked if a Bengal at proper weight was to weight 600 lbs, eyeballing the tiger how do you know it’s at proper weight? He said he didn’t know but said and I quote again” no bones were sticking out”. This I said would be past malnutrition this is called Emaciation.
Art Matson said to me he couldn’t find any violations or anything wrong yet never checked anything, just talked to Mr Harrod and left.
Concerned a proper inspection wasn’t done and biased friendships seemed to have gotten in Art Matson’s view I called Tallahassee and lodged a complaint against his “inspection”. The next week 2 state officials out of Tallahassee were sent to Palmdale and they discovered MANY, MANY violations!!! Odd how a week prior to that Art Matson said he couldn’t find one thing wrong.
Art Matson said he knows of a sanctuary out of Colorado called Wild Animal sanctuary and they were willing at their own expense bring in eight tractor trailers and take every cat the Harrods have to their rescue where they have set aside 250 acres giving each cat 20 acres to themselves with dens and water falls. Jeffery said he’d agree to it but the condition was he had to also give up his breeders license so this mess can’t be repeated down the road. Jeffery refuses to give up his breeders permits and indicated to Art he wanted to get more babies for money making opportunities. So this process will begin all over again.
From my sources Jeffery Harrod is planning on putting all the animals names in his girlfriends name but she doesn’t yet have a class 1 & 2 license however Jeffery indicated he was going to “ sign” saying she has her 1000 hours per species even though she has none logged and has no idea of animal husbandry.
This way Jeffery Harrod can manipulate the system again and gets to keep the cats.
Art Matson said to me Jeffery Harrod told him he was selling Palmdale by the end of his month, so I said to Captian Ardleen yesterday were at the end of the month is Palmdale sold, he said no Jeffery now said it’ll be at the end of the year. STALL, STALL, STALL!!!!
Right now according to Art Matson Jeffery Harrod has housed on the Palmdale property:
7 tigers7 cougars
2 lions
2 leopards
6 alligators
Host of other assorted animals from raccoons to pheasants, emu’s, goats, pigs, etc.
On the property of Palmdale one black leopard according to my close source died about 2 months ago, he was only 2 ½ years old. To my knowledge this animal was not listed on the inventory register as dead with FWC or USDA. No records were ever looked at by Art Matson to compare what animals were there last inspection verses what animals aren’t there this inspection. If sold where is the transfers paperwork and sellers book? Art said he never checked.
March 29, 2010 I received credible information Jeffery Harrod was housing a 3 week old baby cougar in his trailer, according to my inside source the baby is very ill and has diaherra. I was on the phone till after 2 am with a hot line operator whom was in communication with Captain Adleen whom indicated he and Pat Reynolds with FWC would be visiting Jeffery Harrods home and checking if the cougar was ok. He looked at the cat saw the diaherra asked Jeffery if he was going to seek medical attention with a vet at which time Jeffery answered no he wasn’t. He has this cougar baby according to my sources on whole cow’s milk, diluted with water and cat food mixed in. Jeffery indicated the baby is on cat formula and it’s common to remove the baby as soon as it’s born away from the mother. They believe Jeffery Harrod but took pictures
BARBARA HARRODS BROWARD COUNTY COURTHOUSE CASE RECORD
Link HERE
These three powerful people had the green light and authority to revocate ( strip these licenses and permits) but instead looked the other way and gave them a tap on the wrist while more animals suffered and died. The USDA and there laws are worthless to animals.
This is why I've been working to help shut down Vanishing Species because under there lack of proper animal care the species is truely vanishing.
Remember when viewing these animals some here in these pictures are now dead and no one cared!
Who know's what's become of the others in the pictures. Change needs to come to the laws governing who can and can't have exotic animals.
The Harrods have no formal education in attending college for animal husbandry also known as animal science, they have no formal training as a veterarian assistant or in veterinarian medicine, the Harrod's don't possess a master's degrees or doctorates in disciplines such as nutrition, genetics and animal breeding, or reproductive physiology. Yet The Harrods have been given permits for breeding and exhibition by FWC and USDA.
They were just simply given permits! So in essence you need no skill, training nor knowledge to possess and keep a tiger , cougar or leopard which is a class 1 animal!
You just need to “know" someone that already has a class 1 and 2 permit to sign for you stating you have the 1000 hours per species even if you never had 20 hours. You don't need to prove you have the knowledge you just have to produce a few bucks for the permits and off you go.
Unite your voice with mine and stand up to politics that condemn these sacred and endangered animals to a life in a small prison, there only crime was they were born.
Unfortunately these animals you see were only a commodity and expendable.
If one baby died and many did they'd just go BUY another tiger baby to exploit for money doing baby pets at fairs such as Dade County Youth Fair, Birthday parties , schools, and other private functions ,Saw Grass Rec Park where they used to exhibit some of these animals and used the baby tiger pictured here , lioness named " Savanna" and the bob cat for baby pets for money but had lost their contact there and weren't asked back , along with other fairs.
One way or another the laws are going to have to change and if I have to stand alone then so be it but I'd like you the ones reading this to get involved because laws only change when people make law makers change them.
I don't feel the punishment for Barbara Harrod fit the crimes and should have been much more severe. Once again the animals died for a slap on the wrist and court costs. Where is the justice for the voiceless! This statement is my own personal feelings. After this case sat in the legal system with postponements for 3 years this was the outcome for the animals that suffered and died.Please help me to help the animals and be a voice with mine to demand answer from USDA and FWC. How many more animals have to die at the hands of the Harrods? When is enough, enough?
I am an animal advocate, a voice for the voiceless and I’m not going away. If I have to stand alone so be it, I have fought this ongoing night mare for the animals for 3 years and I have no intensions of going away any time soon.
Written by eye witness Chrissy Fischer
Email: witcheswand@yahoo.com
- 5 months ago
- Views: 146
- Not yet rated
-
Abuse at Vanishing Species Abuse at Vanishing Species
- From: Anon
-
Description:
Feb 9,2010 Barbara Harrod entered a no contest plea in front of Judge Ginger Lerner Wren Broward County Florida Court House. The judge found Barbara Harrod guilty of all 5 counts and sentenced her to 12 months of probation and she was ordered to pay court costs roughly in the amount of $1000.00. NO fine was given by the judge even though she could have done so.
Barbara Harrod often “gets” her baby tigers from Larry Wallach whom is licensed out of NY and Ft Lauderdale. Barbara uses these babies for pets then tosses them into a tiny cage for the rest of their lives which typically isn’t very long.
I have now released graphic video’s of what these animals had to endure every day at the Davie location of Vanishing Species under the lack of care of Barbara Harrod.The Sun- Sentinel also did three stories on Barbara Harrod and the property of Vanishing Species. Here’s the link to the latest story. If you type in Vanishing Species you’ll be able to locate David Fleshlers other stories on Vanishing Species.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-wildlife-violations-20100313,0,2508711.story
DAVIE An arthritic tiger failed to receive proper veterinary care. Small mammals housed in a shed died when the air conditioning broke down. Tigers disappeared without proper documentation.A Davie wildlife exhibitor has been accused of those violations in federal inspection reports.
She faces the possible loss of state and federal licenses, after years of using animals to entertain at schools, summer camps, fairs and parties.
Barbara Harrod, who operates Vanishing Species Wildlife Inc., pleaded no contest in February to state charges that she kept animals in unsanitary conditions, used cages that were too small and engaged in other wildlife violations.
She was assessed court costs, not fines.
But the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is reviewing the case to determine whether to suspend or revoke her license, said Capt. John West, of the agency's law enforcement division.
After a separate federal review, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said she has failed to comply with a federal consent order to move all big cats off her site.
The order was issued after inspectors found animals' food contaminated with blood and maggots, inadequate veterinary care, and tigers left unprotected from sun and rain.
The agreement signed last year gave her until July 31, 2009, to get big cats off her fenced compound along Southwest 136th Avenue in Davie.
However, visits by federal inspectors over the past several months found big cats still there and repeated violations of the laws requiring adequate care for the animals.
"It's been systematic noncompliance," said Nolan Lemon, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"The Animal Welfare Act details minimum standards — minimum standards," Lemon said. "These are repeat violations of those standards."
Harrod said she would answer questions only in writing. Questions were sent by e-mail March 3, but she never responded. Her lawyer, Marshall Platt, could not be reached to comment despite messages left by phone and e-mail.
Despite the agreement to move out big cats, a Feb. 4 inspection found two adult tigers and an adult cougar on the property.
Lemon said Harrod was in violation of the consent agreement.
"It's with our legal folks at this point," he said.
Inspections over the past several months have turned up other violations.
Several small mammals housed in a windowless structure died after the air conditioning failed, according to USDA inspection reports.
hree adult tigers disappeared without the required documentation showing to whom they were given or sold.
The Feb. 4 inspection found an adult tiger named Nicky limping and suffering from arthritis and not receiving adequate veterinary care. The attending veterinarian, who last signed a program of care in 2008, does not live in the area, according to the inspection report.
"It's not like owning a dog or a cat," Lemon said. "There are people who get in with the best intentions and they forget that Tigger is a dangerous animal with very demanding and expensive needs. Vet care is expensive, but you can't compromise on that."
David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4535.
Video Links
Warning these videos are graphic, I recommend not eating prior to viewing if you have a weaker stomach.These video’s are on you tube under vanishing species.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDq9vLf51io
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXW2Gz3YBJ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruby5Kyoo2Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGv6rR2fV0g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi8pyhZpmwc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKj8W8zCsEU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l5ap6EDI4M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVJVs3izR4E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYGQLoWfmtY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAmij5EUcuU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du9OOqCchZQ
Some of the animals in these pictures are now dead due to "unnatural" causes.
The Palmdale facility was closed to the public in Feb 2009 by the USDA after a plea agreement with Jeffery and Barbara Harrod owners of Vanishing Species was reached.
USDA fined the Harrods $27,000 for violations and citations at the Palmdale facility but after the plea deal USDA reduced the fines to $3,700.00 with $100.00 payments per month.
USDA didn't return to enforce the plea agreement. Through repeat calling Dr Goldentire , Dr Gibson whom is Dr Goldentire's boss and then calling Joe Nelson I was informed they couldn't discuss the case with me but this case is public record yet none would comment on the case.
In accordance to the public record of USDA it states all cats’ juveniles and adults must be removed off the Davie, Fl. location by July 31, 2009. It's now March 31, 2010 and still class 1 and 2 cats remained on that property. No enforcing of the USDA rules for the plea agreement.
Send a message to USDA to enforce their own plea agreements, revocate licenses, not allow exotic permits or licenses to be given out like candy unless more stringent rules such as testing, serving 500 hours in a vet office that deals with exotic animals, having 500 hours of apprentice experience with FWC and field work, pass a written test, produce 1000 hours of logged time working with exotic animals.
USDA doesn't care about the animals nor enforces their own plea deals.
CALL THESE PEOPLE TODAY!
DEMAND AN EXPLAINATION TO WHY VANISHING SPECIES CAN RETAIN EXOTIC ANIMAL PERMITS AND LICENSES WHEN THEY HAVE VIOLATED EVERY LAW FROM A-N. USDA HAS 2 FILE FOLDERS OF REPEAT VIOLATIONS; THEY HAVE EVEN FORDGED VET RECORDS AND HIDDEN DEATH OF THE ANIMALS, SALES OF THE ANIMALS AND TRANSPORTS OF ANIMALS. SINCE THE PALMDALE FACILITY IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC HOW CAN THEY EXHABIT LEGALLY! THEY CAN'T! ANOTHER LAW BROKEN BUT WHO'S LOOKING. I HOPE CAROL CAN ATTACH THE ORIGINAL PLEA AGREEMENT TO THIS ARTICLE I SENT HER.
The Key players with this disaster with USDA are:
CALL TODAY AND EXPRESS YOUR VOICE
_____________________________________
Dr Goldentire USDA District Manager: 919-855-7100, Fax: 919-855-7123
Dr Gibson, Dr Goldentire direct supervisor: 301-734-4980.
Joe Nelson: 919-855-7106You can access the Harrods inspection records at:
http://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/pdfpage.jspx?custid=9487
If this link doesn’t work type in aphis, then on the left side click on animal welfare, then
On the right side click on publication and reports, next you’ll get a “ warning “ page, just click except, it’s legal for you to look at public records, next your get a page with a box asking name your looking up type in Vanishing Species, under state type in florida hit enter. At the bottom you’ll click on the PDF file and there you go, all of the inspection reports by USDA.
Ask why they have not revoked the Harrods license with repeat violations. Last I checked forging vet records is still forgery and is a felony.
FWC has the green light to revoke Barbara Harrods license yet Captain John West out of Tallassee has done nothing at this point.
Please call: 850-488-6253
Demand answers why FWC won’t revoke Jeffery Harrods or Barbara Harrods license after repeat violations with their agency and numerous complains. They have my log book, video’s I shot that you can now view and still more animals continue to die from lack of vet care, lack of knowledge and lack of funding to buy food.
3 weeks ago Art Matson whom is the inspector for Vanishing Species called and said he had just preformed an inspection at Palmdale, he said he eye balled the tigers and said they looked happy and healthy, I questioned Arts inspection as to what paper work did he receive in regards to the transfer of 7 cougars to Jeffery Harrods friends. Art replied no he ever checked. Art indicated he never went to check on the transferred cougars and made sure their cages were up to FWC standards or checking the proper permits of the friends. I asked Art if he checked for food on the premise to ensure the tigers, lions, leopards and cougars had enough palatable food to feed them daily, Art replied no he did not check to see how much food was in the refrigerators or freezers.
I asked Art if he knew what the proper weight was for a Siberian tiger was, he replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew the proper weight for a Bengal tiger, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew what the percentage of food per animal and their weight was too been to feed daily, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he looked at any current vet records as a yearly vet check is needed, he replied no he did not.
Art Matson said to me and I quote” the tigers look happy and healthy”. I asked Art what does a happy and healthy tiger look like, he said he didn’t know. I said how do you know the tigers are healthy, are you a licensed veterinarian? He replied no he was not. I asked if a Bengal at proper weight was to weight 600 lbs, eyeballing the tiger how do you know it’s at proper weight? He said he didn’t know but said and I quote again” no bones were sticking out”. This I said would be past malnutrition this is called Emaciation.
Art Matson said to me he couldn’t find any violations or anything wrong yet never checked anything, just talked to Mr Harrod and left.
Concerned a proper inspection wasn’t done and biased friendships seemed to have gotten in Art Matson’s view I called Tallahassee and lodged a complaint against his “inspection”. The next week 2 state officials out of Tallahassee were sent to Palmdale and they discovered MANY, MANY violations!!! Odd how a week prior to that Art Matson said he couldn’t find one thing wrong.
Art Matson said he knows of a sanctuary out of Colorado called Wild Animal sanctuary and they were willing at their own expense bring in eight tractor trailers and take every cat the Harrods have to their rescue where they have set aside 250 acres giving each cat 20 acres to themselves with dens and water falls. Jeffery said he’d agree to it but the condition was he had to also give up his breeders license so this mess can’t be repeated down the road. Jeffery refuses to give up his breeders permits and indicated to Art he wanted to get more babies for money making opportunities. So this process will begin all over again.
From my sources Jeffery Harrod is planning on putting all the animals names in his girlfriends name but she doesn’t yet have a class 1 & 2 license however Jeffery indicated he was going to “ sign” saying she has her 1000 hours per species even though she has none logged and has no idea of animal husbandry.
This way Jeffery Harrod can manipulate the system again and gets to keep the cats.
Art Matson said to me Jeffery Harrod told him he was selling Palmdale by the end of his month, so I said to Captian Ardleen yesterday were at the end of the month is Palmdale sold, he said no Jeffery now said it’ll be at the end of the year. STALL, STALL, STALL!!!!
Right now according to Art Matson Jeffery Harrod has housed on the Palmdale property:
7 tigers7 cougars
2 lions
2 leopards
6 alligators
Host of other assorted animals from raccoons to pheasants, emu’s, goats, pigs, etc.
On the property of Palmdale one black leopard according to my close source died about 2 months ago, he was only 2 ½ years old. To my knowledge this animal was not listed on the inventory register as dead with FWC or USDA. No records were ever looked at by Art Matson to compare what animals were there last inspection verses what animals aren’t there this inspection. If sold where is the transfers paperwork and sellers book? Art said he never checked.
March 29, 2010 I received credible information Jeffery Harrod was housing a 3 week old baby cougar in his trailer, according to my inside source the baby is very ill and has diaherra. I was on the phone till after 2 am with a hot line operator whom was in communication with Captain Adleen whom indicated he and Pat Reynolds with FWC would be visiting Jeffery Harrods home and checking if the cougar was ok. He looked at the cat saw the diaherra asked Jeffery if he was going to seek medical attention with a vet at which time Jeffery answered no he wasn’t. He has this cougar baby according to my sources on whole cow’s milk, diluted with water and cat food mixed in. Jeffery indicated the baby is on cat formula and it’s common to remove the baby as soon as it’s born away from the mother. They believe Jeffery Harrod but took pictures
BARBARA HARRODS BROWARD COUNTY COURTHOUSE CASE RECORD
Link HERE
These three powerful people had the green light and authority to revocate ( strip these licenses and permits) but instead looked the other way and gave them a tap on the wrist while more animals suffered and died. The USDA and there laws are worthless to animals.
This is why I've been working to help shut down Vanishing Species because under there lack of proper animal care the species is truely vanishing.
Remember when viewing these animals some here in these pictures are now dead and no one cared!
Who know's what's become of the others in the pictures. Change needs to come to the laws governing who can and can't have exotic animals.
The Harrods have no formal education in attending college for animal husbandry also known as animal science, they have no formal training as a veterarian assistant or in veterinarian medicine, the Harrod's don't possess a master's degrees or doctorates in disciplines such as nutrition, genetics and animal breeding, or reproductive physiology. Yet The Harrods have been given permits for breeding and exhibition by FWC and USDA.
They were just simply given permits! So in essence you need no skill, training nor knowledge to possess and keep a tiger , cougar or leopard which is a class 1 animal!
You just need to “know" someone that already has a class 1 and 2 permit to sign for you stating you have the 1000 hours per species even if you never had 20 hours. You don't need to prove you have the knowledge you just have to produce a few bucks for the permits and off you go.
Unite your voice with mine and stand up to politics that condemn these sacred and endangered animals to a life in a small prison, there only crime was they were born.
Unfortunately these animals you see were only a commodity and expendable.
If one baby died and many did they'd just go BUY another tiger baby to exploit for money doing baby pets at fairs such as Dade County Youth Fair, Birthday parties , schools, and other private functions ,Saw Grass Rec Park where they used to exhibit some of these animals and used the baby tiger pictured here , lioness named " Savanna" and the bob cat for baby pets for money but had lost their contact there and weren't asked back , along with other fairs.
One way or another the laws are going to have to change and if I have to stand alone then so be it but I'd like you the ones reading this to get involved because laws only change when people make law makers change them.
I don't feel the punishment for Barbara Harrod fit the crimes and should have been much more severe. Once again the animals died for a slap on the wrist and court costs. Where is the justice for the voiceless! This statement is my own personal feelings. After this case sat in the legal system with postponements for 3 years this was the outcome for the animals that suffered and died.Please help me to help the animals and be a voice with mine to demand answer from USDA and FWC. How many more animals have to die at the hands of the Harrods? When is enough, enough?
I am an animal advocate, a voice for the voiceless and I’m not going away. If I have to stand alone so be it, I have fought this ongoing night mare for the animals for 3 years and I have no intensions of going away any time soon.
Written by eye witness Chrissy Fischer
Email: witcheswand@yahoo.com
- 5 months ago
- Views: 96
- Not yet rated
-
Abuse at Vanishing Species Abuse at Vanishing Species
- From: Anon
-
Description:
Feb 9,2010 Barbara Harrod entered a no contest plea in front of Judge Ginger Lerner Wren Broward County Florida Court House. The judge found Barbara Harrod guilty of all 5 counts and sentenced her to 12 months of probation and she was ordered to pay court costs roughly in the amount of $1000.00. NO fine was given by the judge even though she could have done so.
Barbara Harrod often “gets” her baby tigers from Larry Wallach whom is licensed out of NY and Ft Lauderdale. Barbara uses these babies for pets then tosses them into a tiny cage for the rest of their lives which typically isn’t very long.
I have now released graphic video’s of what these animals had to endure every day at the Davie location of Vanishing Species under the lack of care of Barbara Harrod.The Sun- Sentinel also did three stories on Barbara Harrod and the property of Vanishing Species. Here’s the link to the latest story. If you type in Vanishing Species you’ll be able to locate David Fleshlers other stories on Vanishing Species.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-wildlife-violations-20100313,0,2508711.story
DAVIE An arthritic tiger failed to receive proper veterinary care. Small mammals housed in a shed died when the air conditioning broke down. Tigers disappeared without proper documentation.A Davie wildlife exhibitor has been accused of those violations in federal inspection reports.
She faces the possible loss of state and federal licenses, after years of using animals to entertain at schools, summer camps, fairs and parties.
Barbara Harrod, who operates Vanishing Species Wildlife Inc., pleaded no contest in February to state charges that she kept animals in unsanitary conditions, used cages that were too small and engaged in other wildlife violations.
She was assessed court costs, not fines.
But the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is reviewing the case to determine whether to suspend or revoke her license, said Capt. John West, of the agency's law enforcement division.
After a separate federal review, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said she has failed to comply with a federal consent order to move all big cats off her site.
The order was issued after inspectors found animals' food contaminated with blood and maggots, inadequate veterinary care, and tigers left unprotected from sun and rain.
The agreement signed last year gave her until July 31, 2009, to get big cats off her fenced compound along Southwest 136th Avenue in Davie.
However, visits by federal inspectors over the past several months found big cats still there and repeated violations of the laws requiring adequate care for the animals.
"It's been systematic noncompliance," said Nolan Lemon, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"The Animal Welfare Act details minimum standards — minimum standards," Lemon said. "These are repeat violations of those standards."
Harrod said she would answer questions only in writing. Questions were sent by e-mail March 3, but she never responded. Her lawyer, Marshall Platt, could not be reached to comment despite messages left by phone and e-mail.
Despite the agreement to move out big cats, a Feb. 4 inspection found two adult tigers and an adult cougar on the property.
Lemon said Harrod was in violation of the consent agreement.
"It's with our legal folks at this point," he said.
Inspections over the past several months have turned up other violations.
Several small mammals housed in a windowless structure died after the air conditioning failed, according to USDA inspection reports.
hree adult tigers disappeared without the required documentation showing to whom they were given or sold.
The Feb. 4 inspection found an adult tiger named Nicky limping and suffering from arthritis and not receiving adequate veterinary care. The attending veterinarian, who last signed a program of care in 2008, does not live in the area, according to the inspection report.
"It's not like owning a dog or a cat," Lemon said. "There are people who get in with the best intentions and they forget that Tigger is a dangerous animal with very demanding and expensive needs. Vet care is expensive, but you can't compromise on that."
David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4535.
Video Links
Warning these videos are graphic, I recommend not eating prior to viewing if you have a weaker stomach.These video’s are on you tube under vanishing species.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDq9vLf51io
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXW2Gz3YBJ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruby5Kyoo2Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGv6rR2fV0g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi8pyhZpmwc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKj8W8zCsEU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l5ap6EDI4M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVJVs3izR4E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYGQLoWfmtY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAmij5EUcuU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du9OOqCchZQ
Some of the animals in these pictures are now dead due to "unnatural" causes.
The Palmdale facility was closed to the public in Feb 2009 by the USDA after a plea agreement with Jeffery and Barbara Harrod owners of Vanishing Species was reached.
USDA fined the Harrods $27,000 for violations and citations at the Palmdale facility but after the plea deal USDA reduced the fines to $3,700.00 with $100.00 payments per month.
USDA didn't return to enforce the plea agreement. Through repeat calling Dr Goldentire , Dr Gibson whom is Dr Goldentire's boss and then calling Joe Nelson I was informed they couldn't discuss the case with me but this case is public record yet none would comment on the case.
In accordance to the public record of USDA it states all cats’ juveniles and adults must be removed off the Davie, Fl. location by July 31, 2009. It's now March 31, 2010 and still class 1 and 2 cats remained on that property. No enforcing of the USDA rules for the plea agreement.
Send a message to USDA to enforce their own plea agreements, revocate licenses, not allow exotic permits or licenses to be given out like candy unless more stringent rules such as testing, serving 500 hours in a vet office that deals with exotic animals, having 500 hours of apprentice experience with FWC and field work, pass a written test, produce 1000 hours of logged time working with exotic animals.
USDA doesn't care about the animals nor enforces their own plea deals.
CALL THESE PEOPLE TODAY!
DEMAND AN EXPLAINATION TO WHY VANISHING SPECIES CAN RETAIN EXOTIC ANIMAL PERMITS AND LICENSES WHEN THEY HAVE VIOLATED EVERY LAW FROM A-N. USDA HAS 2 FILE FOLDERS OF REPEAT VIOLATIONS; THEY HAVE EVEN FORDGED VET RECORDS AND HIDDEN DEATH OF THE ANIMALS, SALES OF THE ANIMALS AND TRANSPORTS OF ANIMALS. SINCE THE PALMDALE FACILITY IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC HOW CAN THEY EXHABIT LEGALLY! THEY CAN'T! ANOTHER LAW BROKEN BUT WHO'S LOOKING. I HOPE CAROL CAN ATTACH THE ORIGINAL PLEA AGREEMENT TO THIS ARTICLE I SENT HER.
The Key players with this disaster with USDA are:
CALL TODAY AND EXPRESS YOUR VOICE
_____________________________________
Dr Goldentire USDA District Manager: 919-855-7100, Fax: 919-855-7123
Dr Gibson, Dr Goldentire direct supervisor: 301-734-4980.
Joe Nelson: 919-855-7106You can access the Harrods inspection records at:
http://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/pdfpage.jspx?custid=9487
If this link doesn’t work type in aphis, then on the left side click on animal welfare, then
On the right side click on publication and reports, next you’ll get a “ warning “ page, just click except, it’s legal for you to look at public records, next your get a page with a box asking name your looking up type in Vanishing Species, under state type in florida hit enter. At the bottom you’ll click on the PDF file and there you go, all of the inspection reports by USDA.
Ask why they have not revoked the Harrods license with repeat violations. Last I checked forging vet records is still forgery and is a felony.
FWC has the green light to revoke Barbara Harrods license yet Captain John West out of Tallassee has done nothing at this point.
Please call: 850-488-6253
Demand answers why FWC won’t revoke Jeffery Harrods or Barbara Harrods license after repeat violations with their agency and numerous complains. They have my log book, video’s I shot that you can now view and still more animals continue to die from lack of vet care, lack of knowledge and lack of funding to buy food.
3 weeks ago Art Matson whom is the inspector for Vanishing Species called and said he had just preformed an inspection at Palmdale, he said he eye balled the tigers and said they looked happy and healthy, I questioned Arts inspection as to what paper work did he receive in regards to the transfer of 7 cougars to Jeffery Harrods friends. Art replied no he ever checked. Art indicated he never went to check on the transferred cougars and made sure their cages were up to FWC standards or checking the proper permits of the friends. I asked Art if he checked for food on the premise to ensure the tigers, lions, leopards and cougars had enough palatable food to feed them daily, Art replied no he did not check to see how much food was in the refrigerators or freezers.
I asked Art if he knew what the proper weight was for a Siberian tiger was, he replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew the proper weight for a Bengal tiger, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew what the percentage of food per animal and their weight was too been to feed daily, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he looked at any current vet records as a yearly vet check is needed, he replied no he did not.
Art Matson said to me and I quote” the tigers look happy and healthy”. I asked Art what does a happy and healthy tiger look like, he said he didn’t know. I said how do you know the tigers are healthy, are you a licensed veterinarian? He replied no he was not. I asked if a Bengal at proper weight was to weight 600 lbs, eyeballing the tiger how do you know it’s at proper weight? He said he didn’t know but said and I quote again” no bones were sticking out”. This I said would be past malnutrition this is called Emaciation.
Art Matson said to me he couldn’t find any violations or anything wrong yet never checked anything, just talked to Mr Harrod and left.
Concerned a proper inspection wasn’t done and biased friendships seemed to have gotten in Art Matson’s view I called Tallahassee and lodged a complaint against his “inspection”. The next week 2 state officials out of Tallahassee were sent to Palmdale and they discovered MANY, MANY violations!!! Odd how a week prior to that Art Matson said he couldn’t find one thing wrong.
Art Matson said he knows of a sanctuary out of Colorado called Wild Animal sanctuary and they were willing at their own expense bring in eight tractor trailers and take every cat the Harrods have to their rescue where they have set aside 250 acres giving each cat 20 acres to themselves with dens and water falls. Jeffery said he’d agree to it but the condition was he had to also give up his breeders license so this mess can’t be repeated down the road. Jeffery refuses to give up his breeders permits and indicated to Art he wanted to get more babies for money making opportunities. So this process will begin all over again.
From my sources Jeffery Harrod is planning on putting all the animals names in his girlfriends name but she doesn’t yet have a class 1 & 2 license however Jeffery indicated he was going to “ sign” saying she has her 1000 hours per species even though she has none logged and has no idea of animal husbandry.
This way Jeffery Harrod can manipulate the system again and gets to keep the cats.
Art Matson said to me Jeffery Harrod told him he was selling Palmdale by the end of his month, so I said to Captian Ardleen yesterday were at the end of the month is Palmdale sold, he said no Jeffery now said it’ll be at the end of the year. STALL, STALL, STALL!!!!
Right now according to Art Matson Jeffery Harrod has housed on the Palmdale property:
7 tigers7 cougars
2 lions
2 leopards
6 alligators
Host of other assorted animals from raccoons to pheasants, emu’s, goats, pigs, etc.
On the property of Palmdale one black leopard according to my close source died about 2 months ago, he was only 2 ½ years old. To my knowledge this animal was not listed on the inventory register as dead with FWC or USDA. No records were ever looked at by Art Matson to compare what animals were there last inspection verses what animals aren’t there this inspection. If sold where is the transfers paperwork and sellers book? Art said he never checked.
March 29, 2010 I received credible information Jeffery Harrod was housing a 3 week old baby cougar in his trailer, according to my inside source the baby is very ill and has diaherra. I was on the phone till after 2 am with a hot line operator whom was in communication with Captain Adleen whom indicated he and Pat Reynolds with FWC would be visiting Jeffery Harrods home and checking if the cougar was ok. He looked at the cat saw the diaherra asked Jeffery if he was going to seek medical attention with a vet at which time Jeffery answered no he wasn’t. He has this cougar baby according to my sources on whole cow’s milk, diluted with water and cat food mixed in. Jeffery indicated the baby is on cat formula and it’s common to remove the baby as soon as it’s born away from the mother. They believe Jeffery Harrod but took pictures
BARBARA HARRODS BROWARD COUNTY COURTHOUSE CASE RECORD
Link HERE
These three powerful people had the green light and authority to revocate ( strip these licenses and permits) but instead looked the other way and gave them a tap on the wrist while more animals suffered and died. The USDA and there laws are worthless to animals.
This is why I've been working to help shut down Vanishing Species because under there lack of proper animal care the species is truely vanishing.
Remember when viewing these animals some here in these pictures are now dead and no one cared!
Who know's what's become of the others in the pictures. Change needs to come to the laws governing who can and can't have exotic animals.
The Harrods have no formal education in attending college for animal husbandry also known as animal science, they have no formal training as a veterarian assistant or in veterinarian medicine, the Harrod's don't possess a master's degrees or doctorates in disciplines such as nutrition, genetics and animal breeding, or reproductive physiology. Yet The Harrods have been given permits for breeding and exhibition by FWC and USDA.
They were just simply given permits! So in essence you need no skill, training nor knowledge to possess and keep a tiger , cougar or leopard which is a class 1 animal!
You just need to “know" someone that already has a class 1 and 2 permit to sign for you stating you have the 1000 hours per species even if you never had 20 hours. You don't need to prove you have the knowledge you just have to produce a few bucks for the permits and off you go.
Unite your voice with mine and stand up to politics that condemn these sacred and endangered animals to a life in a small prison, there only crime was they were born.
Unfortunately these animals you see were only a commodity and expendable.
If one baby died and many did they'd just go BUY another tiger baby to exploit for money doing baby pets at fairs such as Dade County Youth Fair, Birthday parties , schools, and other private functions ,Saw Grass Rec Park where they used to exhibit some of these animals and used the baby tiger pictured here , lioness named " Savanna" and the bob cat for baby pets for money but had lost their contact there and weren't asked back , along with other fairs.
One way or another the laws are going to have to change and if I have to stand alone then so be it but I'd like you the ones reading this to get involved because laws only change when people make law makers change them.
I don't feel the punishment for Barbara Harrod fit the crimes and should have been much more severe. Once again the animals died for a slap on the wrist and court costs. Where is the justice for the voiceless! This statement is my own personal feelings. After this case sat in the legal system with postponements for 3 years this was the outcome for the animals that suffered and died.Please help me to help the animals and be a voice with mine to demand answer from USDA and FWC. How many more animals have to die at the hands of the Harrods? When is enough, enough?
I am an animal advocate, a voice for the voiceless and I’m not going away. If I have to stand alone so be it, I have fought this ongoing night mare for the animals for 3 years and I have no intensions of going away any time soon.
Written by eye witness Chrissy Fischer
Email: witcheswand@yahoo.com
- 5 months ago
- Views: 173
- Not yet rated
-
Abuse at Vanishing Species Abuse at Vanishing Species
- From: Anon
-
Description:
Feb 9,2010 Barbara Harrod entered a no contest plea in front of Judge Ginger Lerner Wren Broward County Florida Court House. The judge found Barbara Harrod guilty of all 5 counts and sentenced her to 12 months of probation and she was ordered to pay court costs roughly in the amount of $1000.00. NO fine was given by the judge even though she could have done so.
Barbara Harrod often “gets” her baby tigers from Larry Wallach whom is licensed out of NY and Ft Lauderdale. Barbara uses these babies for pets then tosses them into a tiny cage for the rest of their lives which typically isn’t very long.
I have now released graphic video’s of what these animals had to endure every day at the Davie location of Vanishing Species under the lack of care of Barbara Harrod.The Sun- Sentinel also did three stories on Barbara Harrod and the property of Vanishing Species. Here’s the link to the latest story. If you type in Vanishing Species you’ll be able to locate David Fleshlers other stories on Vanishing Species.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-wildlife-violations-20100313,0,2508711.story
DAVIE An arthritic tiger failed to receive proper veterinary care. Small mammals housed in a shed died when the air conditioning broke down. Tigers disappeared without proper documentation.A Davie wildlife exhibitor has been accused of those violations in federal inspection reports.
She faces the possible loss of state and federal licenses, after years of using animals to entertain at schools, summer camps, fairs and parties.
Barbara Harrod, who operates Vanishing Species Wildlife Inc., pleaded no contest in February to state charges that she kept animals in unsanitary conditions, used cages that were too small and engaged in other wildlife violations.
She was assessed court costs, not fines.
But the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is reviewing the case to determine whether to suspend or revoke her license, said Capt. John West, of the agency's law enforcement division.
After a separate federal review, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said she has failed to comply with a federal consent order to move all big cats off her site.
The order was issued after inspectors found animals' food contaminated with blood and maggots, inadequate veterinary care, and tigers left unprotected from sun and rain.
The agreement signed last year gave her until July 31, 2009, to get big cats off her fenced compound along Southwest 136th Avenue in Davie.
However, visits by federal inspectors over the past several months found big cats still there and repeated violations of the laws requiring adequate care for the animals.
"It's been systematic noncompliance," said Nolan Lemon, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"The Animal Welfare Act details minimum standards — minimum standards," Lemon said. "These are repeat violations of those standards."
Harrod said she would answer questions only in writing. Questions were sent by e-mail March 3, but she never responded. Her lawyer, Marshall Platt, could not be reached to comment despite messages left by phone and e-mail.
Despite the agreement to move out big cats, a Feb. 4 inspection found two adult tigers and an adult cougar on the property.
Lemon said Harrod was in violation of the consent agreement.
"It's with our legal folks at this point," he said.
Inspections over the past several months have turned up other violations.
Several small mammals housed in a windowless structure died after the air conditioning failed, according to USDA inspection reports.
hree adult tigers disappeared without the required documentation showing to whom they were given or sold.
The Feb. 4 inspection found an adult tiger named Nicky limping and suffering from arthritis and not receiving adequate veterinary care. The attending veterinarian, who last signed a program of care in 2008, does not live in the area, according to the inspection report.
"It's not like owning a dog or a cat," Lemon said. "There are people who get in with the best intentions and they forget that Tigger is a dangerous animal with very demanding and expensive needs. Vet care is expensive, but you can't compromise on that."
David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4535.
Video Links
Warning these videos are graphic, I recommend not eating prior to viewing if you have a weaker stomach.These video’s are on you tube under vanishing species.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDq9vLf51io
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXW2Gz3YBJ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruby5Kyoo2Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGv6rR2fV0g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi8pyhZpmwc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKj8W8zCsEU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l5ap6EDI4M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVJVs3izR4E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYGQLoWfmtY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAmij5EUcuU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du9OOqCchZQ
Some of the animals in these pictures are now dead due to "unnatural" causes.
The Palmdale facility was closed to the public in Feb 2009 by the USDA after a plea agreement with Jeffery and Barbara Harrod owners of Vanishing Species was reached.
USDA fined the Harrods $27,000 for violations and citations at the Palmdale facility but after the plea deal USDA reduced the fines to $3,700.00 with $100.00 payments per month.
USDA didn't return to enforce the plea agreement. Through repeat calling Dr Goldentire , Dr Gibson whom is Dr Goldentire's boss and then calling Joe Nelson I was informed they couldn't discuss the case with me but this case is public record yet none would comment on the case.
In accordance to the public record of USDA it states all cats’ juveniles and adults must be removed off the Davie, Fl. location by July 31, 2009. It's now March 31, 2010 and still class 1 and 2 cats remained on that property. No enforcing of the USDA rules for the plea agreement.
Send a message to USDA to enforce their own plea agreements, revocate licenses, not allow exotic permits or licenses to be given out like candy unless more stringent rules such as testing, serving 500 hours in a vet office that deals with exotic animals, having 500 hours of apprentice experience with FWC and field work, pass a written test, produce 1000 hours of logged time working with exotic animals.
USDA doesn't care about the animals nor enforces their own plea deals.
CALL THESE PEOPLE TODAY!
DEMAND AN EXPLAINATION TO WHY VANISHING SPECIES CAN RETAIN EXOTIC ANIMAL PERMITS AND LICENSES WHEN THEY HAVE VIOLATED EVERY LAW FROM A-N. USDA HAS 2 FILE FOLDERS OF REPEAT VIOLATIONS; THEY HAVE EVEN FORDGED VET RECORDS AND HIDDEN DEATH OF THE ANIMALS, SALES OF THE ANIMALS AND TRANSPORTS OF ANIMALS. SINCE THE PALMDALE FACILITY IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC HOW CAN THEY EXHABIT LEGALLY! THEY CAN'T! ANOTHER LAW BROKEN BUT WHO'S LOOKING. I HOPE CAROL CAN ATTACH THE ORIGINAL PLEA AGREEMENT TO THIS ARTICLE I SENT HER.
The Key players with this disaster with USDA are:
CALL TODAY AND EXPRESS YOUR VOICE
_____________________________________
Dr Goldentire USDA District Manager: 919-855-7100, Fax: 919-855-7123
Dr Gibson, Dr Goldentire direct supervisor: 301-734-4980.
Joe Nelson: 919-855-7106You can access the Harrods inspection records at:
http://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/pdfpage.jspx?custid=9487
If this link doesn’t work type in aphis, then on the left side click on animal welfare, then
On the right side click on publication and reports, next you’ll get a “ warning “ page, just click except, it’s legal for you to look at public records, next your get a page with a box asking name your looking up type in Vanishing Species, under state type in florida hit enter. At the bottom you’ll click on the PDF file and there you go, all of the inspection reports by USDA.
Ask why they have not revoked the Harrods license with repeat violations. Last I checked forging vet records is still forgery and is a felony.
FWC has the green light to revoke Barbara Harrods license yet Captain John West out of Tallassee has done nothing at this point.
Please call: 850-488-6253
Demand answers why FWC won’t revoke Jeffery Harrods or Barbara Harrods license after repeat violations with their agency and numerous complains. They have my log book, video’s I shot that you can now view and still more animals continue to die from lack of vet care, lack of knowledge and lack of funding to buy food.
3 weeks ago Art Matson whom is the inspector for Vanishing Species called and said he had just preformed an inspection at Palmdale, he said he eye balled the tigers and said they looked happy and healthy, I questioned Arts inspection as to what paper work did he receive in regards to the transfer of 7 cougars to Jeffery Harrods friends. Art replied no he ever checked. Art indicated he never went to check on the transferred cougars and made sure their cages were up to FWC standards or checking the proper permits of the friends. I asked Art if he checked for food on the premise to ensure the tigers, lions, leopards and cougars had enough palatable food to feed them daily, Art replied no he did not check to see how much food was in the refrigerators or freezers.
I asked Art if he knew what the proper weight was for a Siberian tiger was, he replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew the proper weight for a Bengal tiger, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew what the percentage of food per animal and their weight was too been to feed daily, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he looked at any current vet records as a yearly vet check is needed, he replied no he did not.
Art Matson said to me and I quote” the tigers look happy and healthy”. I asked Art what does a happy and healthy tiger look like, he said he didn’t know. I said how do you know the tigers are healthy, are you a licensed veterinarian? He replied no he was not. I asked if a Bengal at proper weight was to weight 600 lbs, eyeballing the tiger how do you know it’s at proper weight? He said he didn’t know but said and I quote again” no bones were sticking out”. This I said would be past malnutrition this is called Emaciation.
Art Matson said to me he couldn’t find any violations or anything wrong yet never checked anything, just talked to Mr Harrod and left.
Concerned a proper inspection wasn’t done and biased friendships seemed to have gotten in Art Matson’s view I called Tallahassee and lodged a complaint against his “inspection”. The next week 2 state officials out of Tallahassee were sent to Palmdale and they discovered MANY, MANY violations!!! Odd how a week prior to that Art Matson said he couldn’t find one thing wrong.
Art Matson said he knows of a sanctuary out of Colorado called Wild Animal sanctuary and they were willing at their own expense bring in eight tractor trailers and take every cat the Harrods have to their rescue where they have set aside 250 acres giving each cat 20 acres to themselves with dens and water falls. Jeffery said he’d agree to it but the condition was he had to also give up his breeders license so this mess can’t be repeated down the road. Jeffery refuses to give up his breeders permits and indicated to Art he wanted to get more babies for money making opportunities. So this process will begin all over again.
From my sources Jeffery Harrod is planning on putting all the animals names in his girlfriends name but she doesn’t yet have a class 1 & 2 license however Jeffery indicated he was going to “ sign” saying she has her 1000 hours per species even though she has none logged and has no idea of animal husbandry.
This way Jeffery Harrod can manipulate the system again and gets to keep the cats.
Art Matson said to me Jeffery Harrod told him he was selling Palmdale by the end of his month, so I said to Captian Ardleen yesterday were at the end of the month is Palmdale sold, he said no Jeffery now said it’ll be at the end of the year. STALL, STALL, STALL!!!!
Right now according to Art Matson Jeffery Harrod has housed on the Palmdale property:
7 tigers7 cougars
2 lions
2 leopards
6 alligators
Host of other assorted animals from raccoons to pheasants, emu’s, goats, pigs, etc.
On the property of Palmdale one black leopard according to my close source died about 2 months ago, he was only 2 ½ years old. To my knowledge this animal was not listed on the inventory register as dead with FWC or USDA. No records were ever looked at by Art Matson to compare what animals were there last inspection verses what animals aren’t there this inspection. If sold where is the transfers paperwork and sellers book? Art said he never checked.
March 29, 2010 I received credible information Jeffery Harrod was housing a 3 week old baby cougar in his trailer, according to my inside source the baby is very ill and has diaherra. I was on the phone till after 2 am with a hot line operator whom was in communication with Captain Adleen whom indicated he and Pat Reynolds with FWC would be visiting Jeffery Harrods home and checking if the cougar was ok. He looked at the cat saw the diaherra asked Jeffery if he was going to seek medical attention with a vet at which time Jeffery answered no he wasn’t. He has this cougar baby according to my sources on whole cow’s milk, diluted with water and cat food mixed in. Jeffery indicated the baby is on cat formula and it’s common to remove the baby as soon as it’s born away from the mother. They believe Jeffery Harrod but took pictures
BARBARA HARRODS BROWARD COUNTY COURTHOUSE CASE RECORD
Link HERE
These three powerful people had the green light and authority to revocate ( strip these licenses and permits) but instead looked the other way and gave them a tap on the wrist while more animals suffered and died. The USDA and there laws are worthless to animals.
This is why I've been working to help shut down Vanishing Species because under there lack of proper animal care the species is truely vanishing.
Remember when viewing these animals some here in these pictures are now dead and no one cared!
Who know's what's become of the others in the pictures. Change needs to come to the laws governing who can and can't have exotic animals.
The Harrods have no formal education in attending college for animal husbandry also known as animal science, they have no formal training as a veterarian assistant or in veterinarian medicine, the Harrod's don't possess a master's degrees or doctorates in disciplines such as nutrition, genetics and animal breeding, or reproductive physiology. Yet The Harrods have been given permits for breeding and exhibition by FWC and USDA.
They were just simply given permits! So in essence you need no skill, training nor knowledge to possess and keep a tiger , cougar or leopard which is a class 1 animal!
You just need to “know" someone that already has a class 1 and 2 permit to sign for you stating you have the 1000 hours per species even if you never had 20 hours. You don't need to prove you have the knowledge you just have to produce a few bucks for the permits and off you go.
Unite your voice with mine and stand up to politics that condemn these sacred and endangered animals to a life in a small prison, there only crime was they were born.
Unfortunately these animals you see were only a commodity and expendable.
If one baby died and many did they'd just go BUY another tiger baby to exploit for money doing baby pets at fairs such as Dade County Youth Fair, Birthday parties , schools, and other private functions ,Saw Grass Rec Park where they used to exhibit some of these animals and used the baby tiger pictured here , lioness named " Savanna" and the bob cat for baby pets for money but had lost their contact there and weren't asked back , along with other fairs.
One way or another the laws are going to have to change and if I have to stand alone then so be it but I'd like you the ones reading this to get involved because laws only change when people make law makers change them.
I don't feel the punishment for Barbara Harrod fit the crimes and should have been much more severe. Once again the animals died for a slap on the wrist and court costs. Where is the justice for the voiceless! This statement is my own personal feelings. After this case sat in the legal system with postponements for 3 years this was the outcome for the animals that suffered and died.Please help me to help the animals and be a voice with mine to demand answer from USDA and FWC. How many more animals have to die at the hands of the Harrods? When is enough, enough?
I am an animal advocate, a voice for the voiceless and I’m not going away. If I have to stand alone so be it, I have fought this ongoing night mare for the animals for 3 years and I have no intensions of going away any time soon.
Written by eye witness Chrissy Fischer
Email: witcheswand@yahoo.com
- 5 months ago
- Views: 146
- Not yet rated
-
Abuse at Vanishing Species Abuse at Vanishing Species
- From: Anon
-
Description:
Feb 9,2010 Barbara Harrod entered a no contest plea in front of Judge Ginger Lerner Wren Broward County Florida Court House. The judge found Barbara Harrod guilty of all 5 counts and sentenced her to 12 months of probation and she was ordered to pay court costs roughly in the amount of $1000.00. NO fine was given by the judge even though she could have done so.
Barbara Harrod often “gets” her baby tigers from Larry Wallach whom is licensed out of NY and Ft Lauderdale. Barbara uses these babies for pets then tosses them into a tiny cage for the rest of their lives which typically isn’t very long.
I have now released graphic video’s of what these animals had to endure every day at the Davie location of Vanishing Species under the lack of care of Barbara Harrod.The Sun- Sentinel also did three stories on Barbara Harrod and the property of Vanishing Species. Here’s the link to the latest story. If you type in Vanishing Species you’ll be able to locate David Fleshlers other stories on Vanishing Species.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-wildlife-violations-20100313,0,2508711.story
DAVIE An arthritic tiger failed to receive proper veterinary care. Small mammals housed in a shed died when the air conditioning broke down. Tigers disappeared without proper documentation.A Davie wildlife exhibitor has been accused of those violations in federal inspection reports.
She faces the possible loss of state and federal licenses, after years of using animals to entertain at schools, summer camps, fairs and parties.
Barbara Harrod, who operates Vanishing Species Wildlife Inc., pleaded no contest in February to state charges that she kept animals in unsanitary conditions, used cages that were too small and engaged in other wildlife violations.
She was assessed court costs, not fines.
But the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is reviewing the case to determine whether to suspend or revoke her license, said Capt. John West, of the agency's law enforcement division.
After a separate federal review, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said she has failed to comply with a federal consent order to move all big cats off her site.
The order was issued after inspectors found animals' food contaminated with blood and maggots, inadequate veterinary care, and tigers left unprotected from sun and rain.
The agreement signed last year gave her until July 31, 2009, to get big cats off her fenced compound along Southwest 136th Avenue in Davie.
However, visits by federal inspectors over the past several months found big cats still there and repeated violations of the laws requiring adequate care for the animals.
"It's been systematic noncompliance," said Nolan Lemon, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"The Animal Welfare Act details minimum standards — minimum standards," Lemon said. "These are repeat violations of those standards."
Harrod said she would answer questions only in writing. Questions were sent by e-mail March 3, but she never responded. Her lawyer, Marshall Platt, could not be reached to comment despite messages left by phone and e-mail.
Despite the agreement to move out big cats, a Feb. 4 inspection found two adult tigers and an adult cougar on the property.
Lemon said Harrod was in violation of the consent agreement.
"It's with our legal folks at this point," he said.
Inspections over the past several months have turned up other violations.
Several small mammals housed in a windowless structure died after the air conditioning failed, according to USDA inspection reports.
hree adult tigers disappeared without the required documentation showing to whom they were given or sold.
The Feb. 4 inspection found an adult tiger named Nicky limping and suffering from arthritis and not receiving adequate veterinary care. The attending veterinarian, who last signed a program of care in 2008, does not live in the area, according to the inspection report.
"It's not like owning a dog or a cat," Lemon said. "There are people who get in with the best intentions and they forget that Tigger is a dangerous animal with very demanding and expensive needs. Vet care is expensive, but you can't compromise on that."
David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4535.
Video Links
Warning these videos are graphic, I recommend not eating prior to viewing if you have a weaker stomach.These video’s are on you tube under vanishing species.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDq9vLf51io
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXW2Gz3YBJ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruby5Kyoo2Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGv6rR2fV0g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi8pyhZpmwc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKj8W8zCsEU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l5ap6EDI4M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVJVs3izR4E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYGQLoWfmtY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAmij5EUcuU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du9OOqCchZQ
Some of the animals in these pictures are now dead due to "unnatural" causes.
The Palmdale facility was closed to the public in Feb 2009 by the USDA after a plea agreement with Jeffery and Barbara Harrod owners of Vanishing Species was reached.
USDA fined the Harrods $27,000 for violations and citations at the Palmdale facility but after the plea deal USDA reduced the fines to $3,700.00 with $100.00 payments per month.
USDA didn't return to enforce the plea agreement. Through repeat calling Dr Goldentire , Dr Gibson whom is Dr Goldentire's boss and then calling Joe Nelson I was informed they couldn't discuss the case with me but this case is public record yet none would comment on the case.
In accordance to the public record of USDA it states all cats’ juveniles and adults must be removed off the Davie, Fl. location by July 31, 2009. It's now March 31, 2010 and still class 1 and 2 cats remained on that property. No enforcing of the USDA rules for the plea agreement.
Send a message to USDA to enforce their own plea agreements, revocate licenses, not allow exotic permits or licenses to be given out like candy unless more stringent rules such as testing, serving 500 hours in a vet office that deals with exotic animals, having 500 hours of apprentice experience with FWC and field work, pass a written test, produce 1000 hours of logged time working with exotic animals.
USDA doesn't care about the animals nor enforces their own plea deals.
CALL THESE PEOPLE TODAY!
DEMAND AN EXPLAINATION TO WHY VANISHING SPECIES CAN RETAIN EXOTIC ANIMAL PERMITS AND LICENSES WHEN THEY HAVE VIOLATED EVERY LAW FROM A-N. USDA HAS 2 FILE FOLDERS OF REPEAT VIOLATIONS; THEY HAVE EVEN FORDGED VET RECORDS AND HIDDEN DEATH OF THE ANIMALS, SALES OF THE ANIMALS AND TRANSPORTS OF ANIMALS. SINCE THE PALMDALE FACILITY IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC HOW CAN THEY EXHABIT LEGALLY! THEY CAN'T! ANOTHER LAW BROKEN BUT WHO'S LOOKING. I HOPE CAROL CAN ATTACH THE ORIGINAL PLEA AGREEMENT TO THIS ARTICLE I SENT HER.
The Key players with this disaster with USDA are:
CALL TODAY AND EXPRESS YOUR VOICE
_____________________________________
Dr Goldentire USDA District Manager: 919-855-7100, Fax: 919-855-7123
Dr Gibson, Dr Goldentire direct supervisor: 301-734-4980.
Joe Nelson: 919-855-7106You can access the Harrods inspection records at:
http://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/pdfpage.jspx?custid=9487
If this link doesn’t work type in aphis, then on the left side click on animal welfare, then
On the right side click on publication and reports, next you’ll get a “ warning “ page, just click except, it’s legal for you to look at public records, next your get a page with a box asking name your looking up type in Vanishing Species, under state type in florida hit enter. At the bottom you’ll click on the PDF file and there you go, all of the inspection reports by USDA.
Ask why they have not revoked the Harrods license with repeat violations. Last I checked forging vet records is still forgery and is a felony.
FWC has the green light to revoke Barbara Harrods license yet Captain John West out of Tallassee has done nothing at this point.
Please call: 850-488-6253
Demand answers why FWC won’t revoke Jeffery Harrods or Barbara Harrods license after repeat violations with their agency and numerous complains. They have my log book, video’s I shot that you can now view and still more animals continue to die from lack of vet care, lack of knowledge and lack of funding to buy food.
3 weeks ago Art Matson whom is the inspector for Vanishing Species called and said he had just preformed an inspection at Palmdale, he said he eye balled the tigers and said they looked happy and healthy, I questioned Arts inspection as to what paper work did he receive in regards to the transfer of 7 cougars to Jeffery Harrods friends. Art replied no he ever checked. Art indicated he never went to check on the transferred cougars and made sure their cages were up to FWC standards or checking the proper permits of the friends. I asked Art if he checked for food on the premise to ensure the tigers, lions, leopards and cougars had enough palatable food to feed them daily, Art replied no he did not check to see how much food was in the refrigerators or freezers.
I asked Art if he knew what the proper weight was for a Siberian tiger was, he replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew the proper weight for a Bengal tiger, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he knew what the percentage of food per animal and their weight was too been to feed daily, Art replied no he did not. I asked Art if he looked at any current vet records as a yearly vet check is needed, he replied no he did not.
Art Matson said to me and I quote” the tigers look happy and healthy”. I asked Art what does a happy and healthy tiger look like, he said he didn’t know. I said how do you know the tigers are healthy, are you a licensed veterinarian? He replied no he was not. I asked if a Bengal at proper weight was to weight 600 lbs, eyeballing the tiger how do you know it’s at proper weight? He said he didn’t know but said and I quote again” no bones were sticking out”. This I said would be past malnutrition this is called Emaciation.
Art Matson said to me he couldn’t find any violations or anything wrong yet never checked anything, just talked to Mr Harrod and left.
Concerned a proper inspection wasn’t done and biased friendships seemed to have gotten in Art Matson’s view I called Tallahassee and lodged a complaint against his “inspection”. The next week 2 state officials out of Tallahassee were sent to Palmdale and they discovered MANY, MANY violations!!! Odd how a week prior to that Art Matson said he couldn’t find one thing wrong.
Art Matson said he knows of a sanctuary out of Colorado called Wild Animal sanctuary and they were willing at their own expense bring in eight tractor trailers and take every cat the Harrods have to their rescue where they have set aside 250 acres giving each cat 20 acres to themselves with dens and water falls. Jeffery said he’d agree to it but the condition was he had to also give up his breeders license so this mess can’t be repeated down the road. Jeffery refuses to give up his breeders permits and indicated to Art he wanted to get more babies for money making opportunities. So this process will begin all over again.
From my sources Jeffery Harrod is planning on putting all the animals names in his girlfriends name but she doesn’t yet have a class 1 & 2 license however Jeffery indicated he was going to “ sign” saying she has her 1000 hours per species even though she has none logged and has no idea of animal husbandry.
This way Jeffery Harrod can manipulate the system again and gets to keep the cats.
Art Matson said to me Jeffery Harrod told him he was selling Palmdale by the end of his month, so I said to Captian Ardleen yesterday were at the end of the month is Palmdale sold, he said no Jeffery now said it’ll be at the end of the year. STALL, STALL, STALL!!!!
Right now according to Art Matson Jeffery Harrod has housed on the Palmdale property:
7 tigers7 cougars
2 lions
2 leopards
6 alligators
Host of other assorted animals from raccoons to pheasants, emu’s, goats, pigs, etc.
On the property of Palmdale one black leopard according to my close source died about 2 months ago, he was only 2 ½ years old. To my knowledge this animal was not listed on the inventory register as dead with FWC or USDA. No records were ever looked at by Art Matson to compare what animals were there last inspection verses what animals aren’t there this inspection. If sold where is the transfers paperwork and sellers book? Art said he never checked.
March 29, 2010 I received credible information Jeffery Harrod was housing a 3 week old baby cougar in his trailer, according to my inside source the baby is very ill and has diaherra. I was on the phone till after 2 am with a hot line operator whom was in communication with Captain Adleen whom indicated he and Pat Reynolds with FWC would be visiting Jeffery Harrods home and checking if the cougar was ok. He looked at the cat saw the diaherra asked Jeffery if he was going to seek medical attention with a vet at which time Jeffery answered no he wasn’t. He has this cougar baby according to my sources on whole cow’s milk, diluted with water and cat food mixed in. Jeffery indicated the baby is on cat formula and it’s common to remove the baby as soon as it’s born away from the mother. They believe Jeffery Harrod but took pictures
BARBARA HARRODS BROWARD COUNTY COURTHOUSE CASE RECORD
Link HERE
These three powerful people had the green light and authority to revocate ( strip these licenses and permits) but instead looked the other way and gave them a tap on the wrist while more animals suffered and died. The USDA and there laws are worthless to animals.
This is why I've been working to help shut down Vanishing Species because under there lack of proper animal care the species is truely vanishing.
Remember when viewing these animals some here in these pictures are now dead and no one cared!
Who know's what's become of the others in the pictures. Change needs to come to the laws governing who can and can't have exotic animals.
The Harrods have no formal education in attending college for animal husbandry also known as animal science, they have no formal training as a veterarian assistant or in veterinarian medicine, the Harrod's don't possess a master's degrees or doctorates in disciplines such as nutrition, genetics and animal breeding, or reproductive physiology. Yet The Harrods have been given permits for breeding and exhibition by FWC and USDA.
They were just simply given permits! So in essence you need no skill, training nor knowledge to possess and keep a tiger , cougar or leopard which is a class 1 animal!
You just need to “know" someone that already has a class 1 and 2 permit to sign for you stating you have the 1000 hours per species even if you never had 20 hours. You don't need to prove you have the knowledge you just have to produce a few bucks for the permits and off you go.
Unite your voice with mine and stand up to politics that condemn these sacred and endangered animals to a life in a small prison, there only crime was they were born.
Unfortunately these animals you see were only a commodity and expendable.
If one baby died and many did they'd just go BUY another tiger baby to exploit for money doing baby pets at fairs such as Dade County Youth Fair, Birthday parties , schools, and other private functions ,Saw Grass Rec Park where they used to exhibit some of these animals and used the baby tiger pictured here , lioness named " Savanna" and the bob cat for baby pets for money but had lost their contact there and weren't asked back , along with other fairs.
One way or another the laws are going to have to change and if I have to stand alone then so be it but I'd like you the ones reading this to get involved because laws only change when people make law makers change them.
I don't feel the punishment for Barbara Harrod fit the crimes and should have been much more severe. Once again the animals died for a slap on the wrist and court costs. Where is the justice for the voiceless! This statement is my own personal feelings. After this case sat in the legal system with postponements for 3 years this was the outcome for the animals that suffered and died.Please help me to help the animals and be a voice with mine to demand answer from USDA and FWC. How many more animals have to die at the hands of the Harrods? When is enough, enough?
I am an animal advocate, a voice for the voiceless and I’m not going away. If I have to stand alone so be it, I have fought this ongoing night mare for the animals for 3 years and I have no intensions of going away any time soon.
Written by eye witness Chrissy Fischer
Email: witcheswand@yahoo.com
- 5 months ago
- Views: 199
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Puppy Mills Puppy Mills
- From: TheirVoice
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Description:
Statement of Marshal Smith, USDA Whistleblower
I am perhaps one of the least likely people to have turned government whistleblower. I was raised in a family whose agricultural interests included a cattle ranch in south Texas. My father was Executive Director for the USDA's Fever Tick Eradication program. For nine years I was a member of the 4H club. I was comfortable with structure and rules. I was also brought up to adhere to a personal code of ethics; that meant doing what was right.
With my father's code of ethics as my model and a desire to protect the livestock industry, I joined USDA in 1976, while in my early twenties. To me, USDA exemplified doing what was right to protect the public and industry. I was assigned to a mounted patrol along the Rio Grande under the Veterinary Services Fever Tick Eradication Program. In 1979 I moved to Big Bend National Park as a Quarantine Enforcement Officer and continued riding horseback patrol for Veterinary Services. From there I was promoted to a Supervisory Animal Health Technician with the Screwworm Eradication Program, acting as an agricultural attaché to the US Embassy in Mexico. I resigned for a short time to go into private business but returned to USDA in 1984.
In 1984 I was assigned to brucellosis eradication efforts in Fort Smith, Arkansas. It was during my tenure in Arkansas that I first learned of the Animal Welfare Act. I learned that pet producers. i.e. breeders for pet stores were required to be licensed and inspected to conform with federal standards. Since USDA’s brucellosis eradication efforts had been successful I volunteered to participate in the Animal Welfare Program.
In 1985, I volunteered as an inspector for USDA'S Animal Welfare Program in order to ensure that puppy mills followed federal regulations. I recall the brief training period, which included viewing footage from a news show that had investigated pet store breeders. There was no discussion following that footage and no mention of the fact that USDA had, since 1967, been responsible for ensuring that conditions like those no longer existed. Thus began many of the naive assumptions I would make in the subsequent years when I was committed to believing the agency I worked for. I assumed then that since the problem of puppy mills had been publicly disclosed, USDA taken remedial steps. I assumed that the sobering news segment, my colleagues and I were viewing was old footage. In the field, I would learn that my assumption was wrong.
My territory included 40 kennels in northwest Arkansas. I approached my new job conscientiously. Records of these pet producers were transferred to me from a retiring inspector who told me, "If you’re smart you'll do what I did, you’ll check everything is OK." I told him that I intended to abide by the law. Another assumption: I assumed he was a lazy good old boy, that he was not voicing the agency's mindset.
The kennels I visited had seemingly never been inspected. I was overwhelmed by what I saw: the wretched looking animals, the mounds of fecal matter reaching in some cases to my knees, at very least to the wire caging of the rabbit hutches which most puppy millers used to house the dogs. In every instance that I recall, the filth and deprivation were shocking. I recorded scores of violations prompting complaints to my supervisor in Little Rock. Luckily for me however, my supervisor, DR. W. J. Ward, who had carved a niche for himself in the Animal Welfare Program, supported me. I was given a cash award and Certificate of Merit for my inspection activities.
I assumed that further measures were taken to enforce the regulations and bring offenders into compliance. I later learned that cases were not developed for enforcement, and that those that were would languish years before coming to hearing, when they would invariably be dismissed. Thus some of the most horrendous conditions under which dogs were bred festered, unfettered by federal intervention.
I accepted a promotion and transfer to Jefferson City, Missouri in 1986 as a Compliance officer, later reclassified to Senior Investigator. In this capacity I documented violations of regulations which were administered under the Veterinary Service Program; the cases were a combination of animal quarantine, animal welfare and veterinary accreditation violations. During this time, my colleagues and I were instructed to review the Animal Welfare case files and close them out with a VS Form 3-60. These were "warning tickets" used to essentially dismiss cases due to a backlog at the Office of General Counsel (OGC). These cases represented the more deplorable pet breeding facilities and I was dismayed at USDA's seemingly inability, or unwillingness, to deal with the violators as the law stipulated.
At this time USDA announced its re-organization which would separate the Animal Welfare Program from the Veterinary Services division. Agency officials publicly stated that the newly independent Animal Welfare Program's workforce of VMO’s and inspectors would be dedicated solely to animal welfare inspections. With the focus exclusively on the Animal Welfare Program it was touted that inspections and enforcement would be more effective and consistent. I would later hear that this re-organization was simply a strategic ploy to obtain larger congressional appropriations. Under Veterinary Services funds appropriated for brucellosis eradication had been allegedly diverted to subsidize Animal Welfare activities. With an independent division designated exclusively for the Animal Welfare Program additional appropriations were needed to properly fund the program. To this day the bulk of the funds account for salaries and equipment.
The resulting reorganization formed Regulatory Enforcement and Animal Care (REAC). It consisted of two distinct divisions; one for the enforcement of all APHIS regulations, Regulatory Enforcement (RE); and one for inspections, Animal Care (AC), which was responsible solely for the Animal Welfare Program. These branches were supposed to work together; Animal Care performing inspections, Regulatory Enforcement developing cases against alleged violators of various APHIS programs including AC. Five geographic sectors were created, but the RE and AC boundaries did not mesh. For example, investigators stationed in Missouri reported to the North Central Sector while Animal Care inspectors reported to the South Central Sector. This arrangement made for confusion and inefficiency.
Following the creation of REAC, Dr. Edward Slauter left his post as Director of the Animal Health Division of the Missouri Department of Agriculture. Why he left this position is telling: he was under pressure from the state's Attorney General for his failure to enforce state animal health regulations. Slauter, an associate of Dr. Joan Arnoldi, the newly named Deputy Administrator for REAC, found a welcoming home at the newly created division.
REAC's publicly stated mission to enforce the Animal Welfare Act and bring offenders into compliance is articulated by Dr. Glosser, APHIS Administrator at that time. As Glosser put it, REAC would "lead people into compliance," through "a flexible, dynamic body of regulations."
I was hopeful then that REAC would begin to address the serious inconsistencies in the inspection program and the agency's chronic failure to seek legal remedy against offenders.
By 1990, my Midwest colleagues and I were working fewer cases than prior to REAC's creation. Congress and the media however were not as willing to overlook transgressions right under the nose of USDA. A September 7, 1990 letter from Indiana Congressman, John Meyer, related to a complaint from one of his constituents who attended an exotic animal park and described it to Meyer as a concentration camp for animals. Forced out of its passive role into action, Animal Care under Dr. Mott investigated and reported three violations; I found 12 categories of violations, with numerous sub category violations. During the course of my investigation I also learned that the Missouri Department of Conservation had convicted the manager of this exotic animal park for hunting those exotic animals under his protective care. The thoroughly documented case was sent on to the USDA attorneys but never reached hearing and prosecution.
At the end of 1990, Dr. Walter A. Christensen, Animal Care Sector Supervisor, requested an investigation of a Stover, Missouri kennel operated by two sisters, Janice Knierim and Rhoda Burnett. The case is a classic example of USDA's corruption of established procedures. The kennel in question had been previously licensed under Mr. And Mrs. Vinson Whittle, their parents, who USDA convinced to surrender their license and re-apply under their daughters’ names to clean their slate of severe violations; a new license was thus issued, giving this same kennel a fresh slate, on paper. Yet the same and worse violations persisted: sick dogs ("dehydration, open sores, skin infections"), lack of water and food; improper records; failure to account for the disposition of many of the dogs they sold.
My division, Regulatory Enforcement was, however, never called in to investigate. When the sisters refused Animal Care access to their kennel, Animal Care requested intervention by the local sheriff to gain entry, this in an effort to keep in-house Animal Care's own negligence in issuing the license. The warrant secured by the Sheriff’s department was invalid due to an incorrect address. Later AC did gain access and the kennel passed inspection. But, as indicated by documents in my case file, a complainant who phoned in asked Dr. Slauter "How could they pass? Your inspector must be on the take." Slauter responded, "I know the inspector, he's an excellent inspector." In 1996 the inspector, Robert Dunning, was nabbed in a FBI sting for soliciting a bribe from a kennel owner.
For me, 1992 was a turning point. The stolen pet issue had gotten so hot that local sheriff departments were asking USDA for help. One in Missouri told me pet theft was so widespread that it wanted USDA to set up a hotline to track cases; his request fell on deaf ears. Bunchers were in their heyday, picking up animals from newspaper ads, neighborhoods and I could not understand why USDA was denying there was a problem. I speculated at the time that the situation had gotten so out of hand that the catch up work alone would inundate Animal Care's staff, in addition to reflect poorly on management. I later understood this as an attempt to keep the egregious, long unaddressed problems confined in-house. Animal Care had begun isolating itself from its sister division- it was covering its tracks by excluding Enforcement officers like myself from investigations.
To conceal their misdeeds Animal Care turned to local sheriff's rather than its Enforcement arm, as in the Donald Wood cattery. The conditions there festered over time: sick animals, lack of food or water, improper identification of cats, failure to remove excrement from cages, lack of veterinary care to the extent an inspection report noted: "The gravity of this situation is compounded by the fact that the animals were apparently temporarily abandoned." A warrant was issued with the assistance of the local sheriff and five cats were seized; the warrant, however, did not authorize the seizure. Regulatory Enforcement was subsequently called in to clean up the mess. In an apparent effort to destroy the evidence of the illegal confiscation, Dr. Christensen ordered the cats destroyed. The APHIS Administrator had to sign a confiscation order after the fact. Had Animal Care gone through the proper channels the confiscation would have been legal.
In the Bryant case, yet another case of improper authorizations by Animal Care involved instructions given to an inspector to falsify his reports. When I accompanied this inspector and entered the filthy kennel building, which housed the puppy mill, my eyes immediately started burning from the ammonia vapors; there was no ventilation. One-gallon cans, which formerly contained toxic paint, served as water buckets. When I returned to our vehicle, the Animal Care inspector wrote up his report, clearly omitting some of the most serious and obvious violations. He explained to me that his supervisor had told him "not to document too many violations." I then phoned my own supervisor to discuss this situation. I followed up with a memo, which I faxed to his office as requested. I subsequently learned that the memo had been destroyed "to protect" me. I had not done anything wrong and I was angry that my superiors would not or could not address the issue of a falsified document or the alleged instructions to do so.
This was the last pet producing facility I was asked to visit. In fact, I was not given cases from Animal Care until year-end 1992 when I was dispatched to examine the records of two long time research suppliers, Bruce Barnfield and Randall Huffstetler. The Animal Care inspector responsible for inspecting Huffstetler's kennel had formerly worked at one of the dealer's clients, a university in Missouri. This same inspector had previously called Huffstetler for tips on getting hired by the agency. He returned the favor quid pro quo. On the occasion of my visit, he gave Huffstetler an inappropriate correction deadline. I reported my objections to this action to my supervisor. Huffstetler lodged his own complaint: he was incensed that he had been cited at all. Dr. Bruce Mammeli, Assistant Sector Supervisor, sent an apologetic letter to the dealer exempting him from responding to those citations. Suddenly the inspection had become simply a "fact finding mission." As Mammeli wrote: "On fact finding inspections correction dates are not given, therefore they are not mandatory and will not be held against you during your next routine inspection."
The following year I was asked to review 16 computer generated pages of selected excerpts relating to suppliers of random source animals whose records I had copied. I was not allowed, however, to use the records I had copied, only what headquarters had sent down to me. The resulting case, which I prepared with such selective evidence, was, not surprisingly, returned to me as insufficient for prosecution. The voluminous records I had copied which indicated scores of violations had disappeared. It was not until 1996 that, under pressure from the Office of General Counsel (OGC) and finally a threat of prosecution, Huffstetler voluntarily relinquished his license.
At that time, it was advantageous for the sake of public relations and political expediency to finally sacrifice this one dealer, whose kennel should never have been licensed.
In May 1992 the OIG issued its audit of APHIS. For me, the report was confirmation of what I had long been observing and reporting back to my supervisors: there was internally an ongoing pattern of mismanagement, lack of enforcement of the regulations, and a passive, reactive administering of the Animal Welfare Program. OlG concluded that "APHIS cannot ensure the humane care and treatment of animals at all dealer facilities as required by the Animal Welfare Act...did not inspect dealer facilities with a reliable frequency and it did not enforce timely corrections of violations found during inspections." Of the 284 facilities reviewed, 46, or 16.2 percent, had received no annual inspection; 80.8 percent of the remaining facilities found to be in violation had received no follow-up; that APHIS does not have an effective inspection monitoring system... had not timely penalized facilities found to be in violation - in one case "continuous, uncorrected violations” were noted as far back as July 1988.
Notwithstanding this scathing federal report, USDA took no corrective action. Valuable time and resources were thus wasted and admonitions soon forgotten by USDA. Operationally, USDA continued to fall down on the job. In the next year, 1993, there were even fewer inspections fewer re-inspections, fewer cases investigated and reviewed, fewer cases submitted to Regulatory Enforcement; fewer compliance inspections; fewer cases submitted to OGC; fewer official warnings, and on and on. Licensed facilities in violation remained virtually unchanged. I began to understand that USDA had assumed the position that it was above the law.
Meanwhile, complaints had been flooding USDA in states hardest hit by pet theft, including Missouri and Iowa. Media were breaking stories of animals vanishing without at trace. USDA had been forced to respond. A mid West Stolen Dog Task Force had been hastily formed in 1990; I was not asked to participate. Nearly 150 pages of unreleased field investigator notes indicated that dog dealers under investigation had in a few months period obtained dogs from 148 illegal sources, from dealers who had been convicted in local court of stealing pets, and from long dead individuals or those who simply did not exist. Yet APHIS administrator Dr. James Glosser issued quite another finding to the public and press. USDA concluded, "There was a lack of substantive evidence that dealers were knowingly dealing in stolen pets.” Inspectors were told to offer licenses to the 148 illegal suppliers, also known as bunchers.
Providing improper statements to the government (18, U.S.C., 1001) could have sent USDA administrators themselves to jail for a maximum of five years, and a $10,000 fine, let alone imposed maximum sanctions against the dog dealers.
This dog task force would be the first of three, which provided fodder for the agency's self-justified inaction and involved significant laundering of data and tampering with evidence. A January 1993 task force, from which again I was excluded, found rampant falsification of records among long prospering violators in Missouri and Arkansas, and evidence that dealers were obtaining dogs and cats from “Free to Good Home” ads and from other dealers who had been convicted of illegally acquiring animals. One dealer whose underground, football field size underground kennels service most of the large mid west research institutions, burned his records prior to an announced inspection visit and, according to one of its Senior Investigators, moved about 300 dogs overnight to undisclosed locations. Instead of aggressively pursing this dealer, the Task Force was instructed to drop his from further investigation.
Ultimately the entire task force project was canned, despite or perhaps because of, accumulated evidence of wrongdoing by USDA licensees. In November of the same year, another stolen dog task force was revived, this largely in response to the publication of STOLEN FOR PROFIT, a book about the theft of pets and USDA's role in enabling those crimes. This Stolen Dog Traceback Project like its predecessors uncovered severe, widespread violations of the law at dog dealer kennels.
According to USDA regulation, 9 CFR, Section 2.132 (b), dealers must determine whether or not a particular animal was born and raised on his supplier's premises. Yet USDA had constructed pre-written affidavits, which omitted this crucial question, thus exempting critical evidence from case files. I had sent on records containing obvious violations, which should have again justified punitive action, but when those records were returned to me they were purged of these observations and watered down to a handful of relatively minor violations. In one case, Animal Care referred to Enforcement only 17 minor offenses out of hundreds of major, well-documented violations.
National news magazine shows had picked up the story. I was interviewed in silhouette for "Eye to Eye with Connie Chung." Although I was a key source I remained anonymous, out of fear of agency reprisals. Yet there were mounting suspicions that I had provided the author with damning internal documents and that it was in fact I on the news show. By the end of 1993 I had been removed from Animal Care cases involving dogs and cats. My work assignments were principally in the area of animal quarantine cases under the purview of Veterinary Services. I was totally out of the dealer and puppy mill investigation loop.
Throughout 1994 into 1995, USDA's public exposure and vulnerability was increasing. The re-release in paperback of Stolen for Profit drew yet more public and media attention to stolen pets and USDA's role. Despite specific federal code Title 7, Section 2159 "Authority to Apply for Injunction" if the agency believed that "any dealer is dealing in stolen animals or is placing the health of any animal in serious danger," the only occasional cases which made their way to the OGC were invariably granted safe haven. In its by then 28 years monitoring dealers - some of whom had been found guilty by local courts of stealing pets, dealers who had been housing animals in everything from front load dryers to mailboxes to chicken coops, dealers who were selling infected and dying animals to research institutions, the USDA Attorney General had only once taken injunctive action. At this point, only the high profile cases, which had attracted media attention were being, resolved other than by warnings. Under threat of punitive action, relatively small dealers voluntarily relinquished their licenses, among them Randall Huffstetler. This was good PR for USDA, which could claim to shut these dealers down.
USDA's "discretionary powers" were, however, enabling the agency to re- write its federally mandated job description, favoring industry (dog dealers and their research, puppy mills and their pet store clients) over the public. The agency was making obtaining and retaining those licenses by violators easier. It was simply governing "by consensus," and actively removing dealers from legal obligation to comply with regulations. One USDA memo specifically states that corrective measures for non-compliant items cited during routine inspections should be a “…consensus between the inspector and the licensee or registrant.”
It is particularly noteworthy that USDA continued its laissez faire policies despite a 1995 internal report by the Office of Inspector General identifying the agency's negligence and non-enforcement. USDA seemed to have also lost control over not only dealer kennels but its own employees. During a 1994 annual meeting in Oklahoma word got out that a USDA employee within Animal Care had reportedly embezzled over $80,OOO from USDA, primarily in dog dealer license fees and subsequently sabotaged the computer systems so that it became impossible to determine the full extent of this damage.
Shortly after the 0IG report was released, REAC's own internal assessment was provided to headquarters; this report was not made public. In fact, administrators flatly told press inquirers that no such report existed. In the summer of 1994 Morley Cook, had conducted a review of the South Central Sector REAC program whose office was in Fort Worth, Texas. Cook found significant failings within that area's program: the data base system impeded efficiency and management control; public complaints were not being recognized; inspectors were not adequately trained and lacked sufficient information for their job performance; REAC policy was not uniform, etc. What the report did not mention was that the Sector Supervisor, Dr. Walter Christensen had been taking matters into his own hands.
Since 1992, Dr. Christensen had been arbitrarily clearing Enforcement files of violators. Animal Care supervisors had access to the Compliance Investigations Tracking System (CITS) which tracks cases from initiation date to final resolution. This was initially an investigative tool designed to track the time spent gathering evidence and completion of an investigative report subsequent to formal prosecution. Dr. Christensen lobbied for and was eventually granted access to the CITS System so AC could track cases handled by the AC Sector offices. However, Dr. Christensen was closing out cases, oftentimes the same day of their entry. He was accomplishing this by arbitrarily issuing warning tickets. In many cases the violation would have justified a far more punitive action, for example dealer license suspension and even confiscation of animals whose health and safety was in danger. It was my understanding the Enforcement's investigations were a management tool for Animal Care, a back-up for any violations Animal Care had failed to observe. This, apparently, is just what Animal Care did not want: any further indication of its negligence. To bolster its slack enforcement image, the south central sector was padding its enforcement entries.
In spite of or perhaps because of my frustration with USDA authorities I applied for a promotion and was interviewed by RE Sector Supervisor Neil Williamson concerning an Enforcement Specialist position, a promotion that would have entailed my moving to Denver. I even received a confirming letter. However, I received a call from Williamson stating that he had been instructed by Ron Stanley, Deputy Administrator for Regulatory Enforcement, to advise me that the job in Denver had been "put on the shelf." I immediately faxed a memo to Williamson, requesting clarification.
A month later, on May 15, 1995 I was told by Dianne Shank, Regulatory Enforcement Supervisor for the South Central region, that my position in Jefferson City had suddenly been "abolished." I was also told that I had to choose one of seven cities as my new duty station. There was no mention of my promotion to the Denver office. The agency was asking for an immediate reply indicating my compliance with its sudden new directive.
To address this clear evidence of retaliation, I contacted an attorney. He advised me not to comply until I received a written request and had an opportunity to review the agency's offer. On May 22 I advised the agency that I had hired an attorney. That same day Ron Stanley left me a voice mail stating that I would not have to relocate after all. I do not believe the agency was prepared for me to take such aggressive action.
By now I was receiving only insignificant investigations which had no merit. But my complaint concerning the rescinding of my promotion had drawn the attention of OlG. In late November 1995, I was interviewed by an investigator. He told me that Office of Inspector General was looking into allegations of corruption within REAC. At this time, I was sent a case from Animal Care. On fact value it seemed open and shut: minor violations involving the unlicensed sale of some dogs to research. Animal Care did not expect me to further investigate using the records they supplied. I learned that this buncher had been selling dogs to one of the major Arkansas based dealers during a period of ten years, using his relative's names. Again I had, by simply doing my job, placed Animal Care in a bad light. In 1997, that Arkansas dealer who received this buncher's dogs would only be fined $5000 for his own longtime, serious violations.
Following OIG's inquiry I contacted the Government Accountability Project (GAP) in Washington DC. GAP was ostensibly established to address government whistleblower complaints. It was clear by now that I was the subject of retaliation by the agency. GAP was not aggressive in filing a complaint on my behalf, however. GAP suggested I accept USDA's offer that would allow me to remain in the Midwest in my current investigative position. The USDA had created a position that was unacceptable in that I was to educate the industry and public regarding Animal Care’s mission. I simply wanted to do the job I was assigned to do, document alleged violations of APHIS regulations. I could not accept an untenable compromise that would further isolate me.
The on-paper supervisory position would have made me the target continued hostility. Already my once amicable, productive relationship with my longtime office mate in Jefferson City had been eroded. The officer told me, "I'm tired of your whistleblowing shit" and expressed a desire to "beat the shit out of me." He made these statements in the presence of three superiors including Ron Stanley, *none of whom defended me.
Meanwhile Animal Care was consolidating its power. Through a voice mail announcement -no paper trail, we were informed that Regulatory Enforcement would be severed from Animal Care and transferred to the Office of Management and Budget. By assigning enforcement to an office which makes regulations, rather than enforcing them, the former REAC, thus divested of it RE, would take even fewer steps to deal with alleged violators.
In February 1997, I resigned from USDA, a disheartening end to nearly 20 years of services. I forfeited my retirement as well as a lifetime career. The untenable atmosphere had taken a toll. Fortunately, I found a niche with IDA through friendships I had nurtured during my tumultuous last few years with USDA. I quickly embarked on a war against puppy mill leading national, regional, and local television crews to deplorable facilities. On one of my escapades the news crew and I were shot at by the kennel operator and the news vehicle hit with pellets from the shotgun. The shooting incident was caught on tape yet two years later a jury acquitted the shooter.
The suffering and misery that I have seen and continue to see motivate me to fight for the animals who have no voice, no representation, and virtually no standing with our laws. I am determined to expose the evil puppy mill industry, which is supported by the retail pet industry. Each day our efforts improve thanks to those who have seen a mill or vicariously experienced the agony victims of this industry endure each day. Many will suffer and others die at the whim of people motivated by greed instead of love for animals that they profess to the world.
- Blog post
- 6 months ago
- Views: 178
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Tiger Cubs Abused at Mall GW E Tiger Cubs Abused at Mall GW Exotics 2
- From: PatCuvie
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Description:
TAYLOR — When Judi Vig, a member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, saw exotic animals on display Wednesday at Southland Center, it sent alarms off in her mind. She called City Hall to check that everything was in order with the display and to voice concerns about the animals’ welfare. Vig said PETA has had issues with G.W. Exotic Animals of Wynnewood, Okla., which houses the animals Awakening Production uses. Awakening Production came to Southland with lion and tiger cubs and a baby kangaroo. It set up a display where people could see the animals, and if they wanted, pay $25 for two people to spend eight minutes in a cage with tiger cubs and a trainer. Today is the show’s last day. Awakening Production had not obtained a permit to hold a special event, which is required, said Joseph Nardone, the city’s executive director of development services. A representative of the company came to City Hall with a letter from Southland Center giving permission for the event and to seek a permit, he said. Ordinance and animal control officers investigated the complaint, he said. Animal control officers found no violations, city officials said. The permit was issued. As of Thursday afternoon, the company was in compliance with all city ordinances, Nardone said. “Getting to touch a baby tiger is a moment in a lifetime,” said Michael Bussey, stage manager for Awakening Production. “You’re seated. You go in with a certified trainer. The tigers will roam around the cage, crawl on your lap, and you can pet them.” There were plenty of takers, from young children to a 93-year-old woman, he said. But mainly, it was young families, especially mothers with their children. Awakening Production also put on a free magic show each day. The purpose behind the magic show is to educate the public about ownership of exotic animals, Bussey said. It booked several visits with General Growth Properties, which owns Southland Center and other malls across the country, Bussey said. Awakening Production came with a 4-month-old white tiger; two 8-week-old tigers, which went into the play cages with visitors; a 13-week-old tiger; two 3-week-old lions; and a 3-month-old kangaroo, said Vicky Welch, road manager and animal caretaker. Fourteen people, including stage crew and animal caretakers, travel with the animals, Welch said.
Comments:
all you sorry people that have no clear understanding related to animal rights....The show at Southland was for self gain......Do you all know HOW MUCH MONEY THEY MADE! At the expense of breeding tigers that they can take around the country...to make money off you fools then they give or sell those tigers when they are too big...they end up in China and so on for their herbal cures....you people need to wake up, your just as guilty as they are....don't tell this woman to wake up she is very much awake...which is more then what I can say to you sorry people that can't engage your children into more productive activity to protect the environment and rights of animals.....you all get off easy putting your kid in a cage with an abused animal and you think your TEACHING or putting a star on your forehead for being a good parent....do your homework first!!!! Also, PETA along with other animal groups are all around...what do you think your local animal shelters, PAWS, etc.....what do you think they do...Also, The circus animals are also in a mess of abuse....pay attention and get involved...Don't attend GIB. Trade Center Circus......I wonder how many of you people that gave your hard earned money or welfare check money to this group just ignored putting a good meal on your table for your kids....Oh I know I forgot people like you get off easy.....processed food for the kids...right...$1.00 burgers at mcdonalds....PS.....I'm proud of my kids they wanted NO part of this! " go michigan
" I'm not a member of PETA but would NEVER EVER put my kids in a cage with a wild animal.....I don't ever want them to think that it is cute or FAIR to the animal, they do not need to be in cages they need to be in their natural environment.....free....not caged! City of Taylor and Southland should be ashamed for allowing this! I'm HAPPY this girl made the phone call....we need more people like her... " non member of PeTA
" while everyone who paid money to sit with an exotic animal and said it was a great family moment talk about wake up and smell the real world if u thought that was so great an experience WHAT ABOUT THE ANIMALS where are their parents? how about the family experience for the wild animals?For areal family experience try the park, playing catch with ur kids when are parents going to get it MEMORIES CANNOT BE BOUGHT THEY MUST BE EXPERIENCED!!Thankfully this woman knew that and tried to point that out, good for her THANK YOU!!! " wendy
" I was at the mall today doing some shopping with my son. We didn't even know about the 'show' until we were walking through the mall.
We wandered over and looked into one of the cages. There was a man sitting on the floor, holding his toddler daughter. The little girl was terrified of the baby tiger. She was screaming and kicking at the tiger. I think she made contact at one point. The employee never suggested the child be taken out of the cage, nor did the father have enough brains to cut the 'visit' short.
Now, repeat that scenario several times a day, in different cities, year round and tell me that these animals aren't being exploited and mistreated. It made me sick.
I am not a member of PETA. I agree that the organization is full of kooks. They were correct in their assessment of this 'show', however. " calumet
" This is another sad excuse for an “educational show”, where in reality these animals are being exploited for one reason only – monetary gain. These cute baby tiger and lion cubs will grow up to be 300-500 lb big cats and are destined for a life in captivity or worse, can end up in canned hunts or killed for the black market. There are more tigers in captivity in the United States then there are in the wild. Until laws are passed restricting private ownership and exploitation of these great cats, this type of animal cruelty will continue. For more information about “Big Cat Exhibition” visit: http://www.bigcatrescue.org/bigcatexhibition.htm " tigress62
Why would you ask such a question? "Are you with them 24/7"? Well, what you do think? NO! That is why I said hopefully, they get fed and are well taken care of. I do not associate with the animals mentioned in this article nor do I know the trainers and/or owners.
Think about this, "protectanimals", they MUST be PROPERLY TRAINED, because why else would this company allow people to GO INSIDE THE CAGES WITH THE ANIMALS? It would be insane to let in-experienced people into a cage with a wild animals, babies or not.
Here's something else to think about. If the animals weren't trained, don't you think the company would of done something about that? Obviously they are, because why would a company like this allow in-experienced people into a cage with a wild animal? I don't post on this blog to argue! " josh
" Josh.....they are pretty harmless at this age........they are far from trained, they are helpless and are used for money (it's a million dollar company), when they get too big they are not used anymore, they only breed them for their shows and once they get a certain age thats it for them.....'cause they can not be on the shows anymore..they sure would not let a child go in a cage with an adult tiger...this person who made the call to the city did it out of concern and I have to agree with her...this company just came in for the money and they will go to the next town....they made alot of money from the downriver residents, they are pros! " " Also, Josh, Those workers would NEVER get in a cage with an adult tiger or lion....Never....the workers are only trained to work the crowd for the money and once again they have duped the public....those poor animals....their fate will not be good...I'm a retired teacher and have been a advocate for animals for many many years and have also known about this G.W. Exotic Animal group for a long time, they are very sly and never let anyone know what town they are going to next. "protectanimals
" How can any reporter do a story about baby lions and tigers at a mall and not investigate how it was that they were bred into such a miserable life and what will happen with them in a couple of months when they are too big to pet. Any one with access to the Internet could easily find out that these precious animals will spend the rest of their lives in tiny, filthy cages, be shot for their pelts, cut up for meat or worse. If people don't know, it is because they choose to be ignorant, but that doesn't ease the suffering. More at Dying To Be Held http://www.bigcatrescue dot org/000news/0articlesbybcr/2008DyingToBeHeld dot htm "
" You are so right BIGCATRESCUE...the news herald was very partial with this article....they could have done more, they wanted this to be just another cute article...shame on them.....most of the article is centered around the people who put on the show...what do you think they are going to say..they are making a lot of money..they sugar coated the whole event..make phone calls and complain...I wonder if they will post any of these comments as a follow up in the paper...and phone calls need to go to the city hall and southland mall for allowing this......Why didn't the news herald reporter talk to the crowd about this animal show? They took one phone call and then went out and let the event employees make it look so great...and why wasn't the permit pulled prior to the show...how come that wasn't asked? How come this animal show wasn't advertised anywhere prior to coming? How come that wasn't asked? You know why...they don't want anyone to know they are coming to a local mall. How come the paper didn't asked "where do the animals go when they are grown, is it right to pull these babies away from the mother, how 'bout the baby kangaroo that should be in the mothers pouch not a purse hanging from a rack....the paper could have done BETTER asking questions.....maybe next time they will send a smarter reporter that thinks outside the box and doesn't just interview the event employees or take cute pictures of these babies....The paper should have had the pictures of reality of these tigers/lions stuck in cages or cut up for meat etc. Dear News Herald...take a good look at your cute little pictures you put in the newspapers of the baby tigers and I hope you always remember that cute little face will be shipped off when too big, sold for meat/hide/herbal and have a life of abuse before they are killed....next time news-herald TELL the whole story! " protectanimals
" PETA, DOESN'T THAT STAND FOR "PEOPLE EATING TASTY ANIMALS,
IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, LOOKING AT ANIMALS IN CAGES IS ONE THING, BUT ALLOWING PEOPLE TO GO INSIDE THE CAGE WITH A WILD ANIMAL IS NOT A GOOD IDEA, PERHAPS EVERYONE SAW THE HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR IN THE CAGE GETTING HER YEARBOOK PICTURE TAKEN IN MINNESOTA LAST YEAR, SHE WAS MALLED TO DEATH, (ITS OKAY THE TRAINER SAID, WE DO THIS EVERY YEAR!) WHAT ABOUT THE TELEVISION COMMERICAL CHIMP WHO RECENTLY ATTACKED BITING A WOMAN HANDS OFF, HER FACE, AND EYES, FORGOT ABOUT SIGFRIED & ROY, OR THE FAMOUS AUSTRALIAN CROCIDILE MAN? THIS WEEK ON THE NEWS A WOMAN FOUGHT OFF A COUGAR WHO ATTACKED HER SON ON A WALKING TRAIL, ANIMALS NEED TO BE SECURED IN A ZOO (TWO YOUNG MEN WERE KILLED RECENTLY AT SAN FRANCISCO ZOO WHEN A LION ESCAPED) LEAVE THEM IN THE WILD, & REMEMBER WHEN YOU VISIT YOU ARE PART OF THE FOOD CHAIN!!!!!!!!1 " hello
" Why would any parent let their child get in a cage with an animal?????This isn't like a visit to santa or the easter bunny. Bad Parenting! " why
" Who CARES to what group the woman who reported it belongs. You people are so busy shooting the messenger you've completely ignored the message.
You REALLY can't see anything wrong with taking babies away from their mothers? THREE WEEK old lion cubs don't send up a red flag with you? Three week old cubs (three MONTH for that matter) should be with their mother, and vice versa. SHAME on this greedy company for exploiting animals (AND taking advantage of people with thicker wallets than brains). " K
" The news herald is a great local paper and they do a good job however they got it wrong with this story. They need to tell the whole true story about this company and the future of these poor animals its like they just protected this company and forgot about the abuse to these animals. " freespeech - 1 year ago
- Views: 621
- Not yet rated
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Tiger Cubs Abused at Mall Awar Tiger Cubs Abused at Mall Awareness Productions
- From: PatCuvie
-
Description:
TAYLOR — When Judi Vig, a member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, saw exotic animals on display Wednesday at Southland Center, it sent alarms off in her mind. She called City Hall to check that everything was in order with the display and to voice concerns about the animals’ welfare. Vig said PETA has had issues with G.W. Exotic Animals of Wynnewood, Okla., which houses the animals Awakening Production uses. Awakening Production came to Southland with lion and tiger cubs and a baby kangaroo. It set up a display where people could see the animals, and if they wanted, pay $25 for two people to spend eight minutes in a cage with tiger cubs and a trainer. Today is the show’s last day. Awakening Production had not obtained a permit to hold a special event, which is required, said Joseph Nardone, the city’s executive director of development services. A representative of the company came to City Hall with a letter from Southland Center giving permission for the event and to seek a permit, he said. Ordinance and animal control officers investigated the complaint, he said. Animal control officers found no violations, city officials said. The permit was issued. As of Thursday afternoon, the company was in compliance with all city ordinances, Nardone said. “Getting to touch a baby tiger is a moment in a lifetime,” said Michael Bussey, stage manager for Awakening Production. “You’re seated. You go in with a certified trainer. The tigers will roam around the cage, crawl on your lap, and you can pet them.” There were plenty of takers, from young children to a 93-year-old woman, he said. But mainly, it was young families, especially mothers with their children. Awakening Production also put on a free magic show each day. The purpose behind the magic show is to educate the public about ownership of exotic animals, Bussey said. It booked several visits with General Growth Properties, which owns Southland Center and other malls across the country, Bussey said. Awakening Production came with a 4-month-old white tiger; two 8-week-old tigers, which went into the play cages with visitors; a 13-week-old tiger; two 3-week-old lions; and a 3-month-old kangaroo, said Vicky Welch, road manager and animal caretaker. Fourteen people, including stage crew and animal caretakers, travel with the animals, Welch said.
Comments:
all you sorry people that have no clear understanding related to animal rights....The show at Southland was for self gain......Do you all know HOW MUCH MONEY THEY MADE! At the expense of breeding tigers that they can take around the country...to make money off you fools then they give or sell those tigers when they are too big...they end up in China and so on for their herbal cures....you people need to wake up, your just as guilty as they are....don't tell this woman to wake up she is very much awake...which is more then what I can say to you sorry people that can't engage your children into more productive activity to protect the environment and rights of animals.....you all get off easy putting your kid in a cage with an abused animal and you think your TEACHING or putting a star on your forehead for being a good parent....do your homework first!!!! Also, PETA along with other animal groups are all around...what do you think your local animal shelters, PAWS, etc.....what do you think they do...Also, The circus animals are also in a mess of abuse....pay attention and get involved...Don't attend GIB. Trade Center Circus......I wonder how many of you people that gave your hard earned money or welfare check money to this group just ignored putting a good meal on your table for your kids....Oh I know I forgot people like you get off easy.....processed food for the kids...right...$1.00 burgers at mcdonalds....PS.....I'm proud of my kids they wanted NO part of this! " go michigan
" I'm not a member of PETA but would NEVER EVER put my kids in a cage with a wild animal.....I don't ever want them to think that it is cute or FAIR to the animal, they do not need to be in cages they need to be in their natural environment.....free....not caged! City of Taylor and Southland should be ashamed for allowing this! I'm HAPPY this girl made the phone call....we need more people like her... " non member of PeTA
" while everyone who paid money to sit with an exotic animal and said it was a great family moment talk about wake up and smell the real world if u thought that was so great an experience WHAT ABOUT THE ANIMALS where are their parents? how about the family experience for the wild animals?For areal family experience try the park, playing catch with ur kids when are parents going to get it MEMORIES CANNOT BE BOUGHT THEY MUST BE EXPERIENCED!!Thankfully this woman knew that and tried to point that out, good for her THANK YOU!!! " wendy
" I was at the mall today doing some shopping with my son. We didn't even know about the 'show' until we were walking through the mall.
We wandered over and looked into one of the cages. There was a man sitting on the floor, holding his toddler daughter. The little girl was terrified of the baby tiger. She was screaming and kicking at the tiger. I think she made contact at one point. The employee never suggested the child be taken out of the cage, nor did the father have enough brains to cut the 'visit' short.
Now, repeat that scenario several times a day, in different cities, year round and tell me that these animals aren't being exploited and mistreated. It made me sick.
I am not a member of PETA. I agree that the organization is full of kooks. They were correct in their assessment of this 'show', however. " calumet
" This is another sad excuse for an “educational show”, where in reality these animals are being exploited for one reason only – monetary gain. These cute baby tiger and lion cubs will grow up to be 300-500 lb big cats and are destined for a life in captivity or worse, can end up in canned hunts or killed for the black market. There are more tigers in captivity in the United States then there are in the wild. Until laws are passed restricting private ownership and exploitation of these great cats, this type of animal cruelty will continue. For more information about “Big Cat Exhibition” visit: http://www.bigcatrescue.org/bigcatexhibition.htm " tigress62
Why would you ask such a question? "Are you with them 24/7"? Well, what you do think? NO! That is why I said hopefully, they get fed and are well taken care of. I do not associate with the animals mentioned in this article nor do I know the trainers and/or owners.
Think about this, "protectanimals", they MUST be PROPERLY TRAINED, because why else would this company allow people to GO INSIDE THE CAGES WITH THE ANIMALS? It would be insane to let in-experienced people into a cage with a wild animals, babies or not.
Here's something else to think about. If the animals weren't trained, don't you think the company would of done something about that? Obviously they are, because why would a company like this allow in-experienced people into a cage with a wild animal? I don't post on this blog to argue! " josh
" Josh.....they are pretty harmless at this age........they are far from trained, they are helpless and are used for money (it's a million dollar company), when they get too big they are not used anymore, they only breed them for their shows and once they get a certain age thats it for them.....'cause they can not be on the shows anymore..they sure would not let a child go in a cage with an adult tiger...this person who made the call to the city did it out of concern and I have to agree with her...this company just came in for the money and they will go to the next town....they made alot of money from the downriver residents, they are pros! " " Also, Josh, Those workers would NEVER get in a cage with an adult tiger or lion....Never....the workers are only trained to work the crowd for the money and once again they have duped the public....those poor animals....their fate will not be good...I'm a retired teacher and have been a advocate for animals for many many years and have also known about this G.W. Exotic Animal group for a long time, they are very sly and never let anyone know what town they are going to next. "protectanimals
" How can any reporter do a story about baby lions and tigers at a mall and not investigate how it was that they were bred into such a miserable life and what will happen with them in a couple of months when they are too big to pet. Any one with access to the Internet could easily find out that these precious animals will spend the rest of their lives in tiny, filthy cages, be shot for their pelts, cut up for meat or worse. If people don't know, it is because they choose to be ignorant, but that doesn't ease the suffering. More at Dying To Be Held http://www.bigcatrescue dot org/000news/0articlesbybcr/2008DyingToBeHeld dot htm "
" You are so right BIGCATRESCUE...the news herald was very partial with this article....they could have done more, they wanted this to be just another cute article...shame on them.....most of the article is centered around the people who put on the show...what do you think they are going to say..they are making a lot of money..they sugar coated the whole event..make phone calls and complain...I wonder if they will post any of these comments as a follow up in the paper...and phone calls need to go to the city hall and southland mall for allowing this......Why didn't the news herald reporter talk to the crowd about this animal show? They took one phone call and then went out and let the event employees make it look so great...and why wasn't the permit pulled prior to the show...how come that wasn't asked? How come this animal show wasn't advertised anywhere prior to coming? How come that wasn't asked? You know why...they don't want anyone to know they are coming to a local mall. How come the paper didn't asked "where do the animals go when they are grown, is it right to pull these babies away from the mother, how 'bout the baby kangaroo that should be in the mothers pouch not a purse hanging from a rack....the paper could have done BETTER asking questions.....maybe next time they will send a smarter reporter that thinks outside the box and doesn't just interview the event employees or take cute pictures of these babies....The paper should have had the pictures of reality of these tigers/lions stuck in cages or cut up for meat etc. Dear News Herald...take a good look at your cute little pictures you put in the newspapers of the baby tigers and I hope you always remember that cute little face will be shipped off when too big, sold for meat/hide/herbal and have a life of abuse before they are killed....next time news-herald TELL the whole story! " protectanimals
" PETA, DOESN'T THAT STAND FOR "PEOPLE EATING TASTY ANIMALS,
IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, LOOKING AT ANIMALS IN CAGES IS ONE THING, BUT ALLOWING PEOPLE TO GO INSIDE THE CAGE WITH A WILD ANIMAL IS NOT A GOOD IDEA, PERHAPS EVERYONE SAW THE HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR IN THE CAGE GETTING HER YEARBOOK PICTURE TAKEN IN MINNESOTA LAST YEAR, SHE WAS MALLED TO DEATH, (ITS OKAY THE TRAINER SAID, WE DO THIS EVERY YEAR!) WHAT ABOUT THE TELEVISION COMMERICAL CHIMP WHO RECENTLY ATTACKED BITING A WOMAN HANDS OFF, HER FACE, AND EYES, FORGOT ABOUT SIGFRIED & ROY, OR THE FAMOUS AUSTRALIAN CROCIDILE MAN? THIS WEEK ON THE NEWS A WOMAN FOUGHT OFF A COUGAR WHO ATTACKED HER SON ON A WALKING TRAIL, ANIMALS NEED TO BE SECURED IN A ZOO (TWO YOUNG MEN WERE KILLED RECENTLY AT SAN FRANCISCO ZOO WHEN A LION ESCAPED) LEAVE THEM IN THE WILD, & REMEMBER WHEN YOU VISIT YOU ARE PART OF THE FOOD CHAIN!!!!!!!!1 " hello
" Why would any parent let their child get in a cage with an animal?????This isn't like a visit to santa or the easter bunny. Bad Parenting! " why
" Who CARES to what group the woman who reported it belongs. You people are so busy shooting the messenger you've completely ignored the message.
You REALLY can't see anything wrong with taking babies away from their mothers? THREE WEEK old lion cubs don't send up a red flag with you? Three week old cubs (three MONTH for that matter) should be with their mother, and vice versa. SHAME on this greedy company for exploiting animals (AND taking advantage of people with thicker wallets than brains). " K
" The news herald is a great local paper and they do a good job however they got it wrong with this story. They need to tell the whole true story about this company and the future of these poor animals its like they just protected this company and forgot about the abuse to these animals. " freespeech - 1 year ago
- Views: 424
-
Tiger Cubs Abused at Mall GW E Tiger Cubs Abused at Mall GW Exotics
- From: PatCuvie
-
Description:
TAYLOR — When Judi Vig, a member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, saw exotic animals on display Wednesday at Southland Center, it sent alarms off in her mind. She called City Hall to check that everything was in order with the display and to voice concerns about the animals’ welfare. Vig said PETA has had issues with G.W. Exotic Animals of Wynnewood, Okla., which houses the animals Awakening Production uses. Awakening Production came to Southland with lion and tiger cubs and a baby kangaroo. It set up a display where people could see the animals, and if they wanted, pay $25 for two people to spend eight minutes in a cage with tiger cubs and a trainer. Today is the show’s last day. Awakening Production had not obtained a permit to hold a special event, which is required, said Joseph Nardone, the city’s executive director of development services. A representative of the company came to City Hall with a letter from Southland Center giving permission for the event and to seek a permit, he said. Ordinance and animal control officers investigated the complaint, he said. Animal control officers found no violations, city officials said. The permit was issued. As of Thursday afternoon, the company was in compliance with all city ordinances, Nardone said. “Getting to touch a baby tiger is a moment in a lifetime,” said Michael Bussey, stage manager for Awakening Production. “You’re seated. You go in with a certified trainer. The tigers will roam around the cage, crawl on your lap, and you can pet them.” There were plenty of takers, from young children to a 93-year-old woman, he said. But mainly, it was young families, especially mothers with their children. Awakening Production also put on a free magic show each day. The purpose behind the magic show is to educate the public about ownership of exotic animals, Bussey said. It booked several visits with General Growth Properties, which owns Southland Center and other malls across the country, Bussey said. Awakening Production came with a 4-month-old white tiger; two 8-week-old tigers, which went into the play cages with visitors; a 13-week-old tiger; two 3-week-old lions; and a 3-month-old kangaroo, said Vicky Welch, road manager and animal caretaker. Fourteen people, including stage crew and animal caretakers, travel with the animals, Welch said.
Comments:
all you sorry people that have no clear understanding related to animal rights....The show at Southland was for self gain......Do you all know HOW MUCH MONEY THEY MADE! At the expense of breeding tigers that they can take around the country...to make money off you fools then they give or sell those tigers when they are too big...they end up in China and so on for their herbal cures....you people need to wake up, your just as guilty as they are....don't tell this woman to wake up she is very much awake...which is more then what I can say to you sorry people that can't engage your children into more productive activity to protect the environment and rights of animals.....you all get off easy putting your kid in a cage with an abused animal and you think your TEACHING or putting a star on your forehead for being a good parent....do your homework first!!!! Also, PETA along with other animal groups are all around...what do you think your local animal shelters, PAWS, etc.....what do you think they do...Also, The circus animals are also in a mess of abuse....pay attention and get involved...Don't attend GIB. Trade Center Circus......I wonder how many of you people that gave your hard earned money or welfare check money to this group just ignored putting a good meal on your table for your kids....Oh I know I forgot people like you get off easy.....processed food for the kids...right...$1.00 burgers at mcdonalds....PS.....I'm proud of my kids they wanted NO part of this! " go michigan
" I'm not a member of PETA but would NEVER EVER put my kids in a cage with a wild animal.....I don't ever want them to think that it is cute or FAIR to the animal, they do not need to be in cages they need to be in their natural environment.....free....not caged! City of Taylor and Southland should be ashamed for allowing this! I'm HAPPY this girl made the phone call....we need more people like her... " non member of PeTA
" while everyone who paid money to sit with an exotic animal and said it was a great family moment talk about wake up and smell the real world if u thought that was so great an experience WHAT ABOUT THE ANIMALS where are their parents? how about the family experience for the wild animals?For areal family experience try the park, playing catch with ur kids when are parents going to get it MEMORIES CANNOT BE BOUGHT THEY MUST BE EXPERIENCED!!Thankfully this woman knew that and tried to point that out, good for her THANK YOU!!! " wendy
" I was at the mall today doing some shopping with my son. We didn't even know about the 'show' until we were walking through the mall.
We wandered over and looked into one of the cages. There was a man sitting on the floor, holding his toddler daughter. The little girl was terrified of the baby tiger. She was screaming and kicking at the tiger. I think she made contact at one point. The employee never suggested the child be taken out of the cage, nor did the father have enough brains to cut the 'visit' short.
Now, repeat that scenario several times a day, in different cities, year round and tell me that these animals aren't being exploited and mistreated. It made me sick.
I am not a member of PETA. I agree that the organization is full of kooks. They were correct in their assessment of this 'show', however. " calumet
" This is another sad excuse for an “educational show”, where in reality these animals are being exploited for one reason only – monetary gain. These cute baby tiger and lion cubs will grow up to be 300-500 lb big cats and are destined for a life in captivity or worse, can end up in canned hunts or killed for the black market. There are more tigers in captivity in the United States then there are in the wild. Until laws are passed restricting private ownership and exploitation of these great cats, this type of animal cruelty will continue. For more information about “Big Cat Exhibition” visit: http://www.bigcatrescue.org/bigcatexhibition.htm " tigress62
Why would you ask such a question? "Are you with them 24/7"? Well, what you do think? NO! That is why I said hopefully, they get fed and are well taken care of. I do not associate with the animals mentioned in this article nor do I know the trainers and/or owners.
Think about this, "protectanimals", they MUST be PROPERLY TRAINED, because why else would this company allow people to GO INSIDE THE CAGES WITH THE ANIMALS? It would be insane to let in-experienced people into a cage with a wild animals, babies or not.
Here's something else to think about. If the animals weren't trained, don't you think the company would of done something about that? Obviously they are, because why would a company like this allow in-experienced people into a cage with a wild animal? I don't post on this blog to argue! " josh
" Josh.....they are pretty harmless at this age........they are far from trained, they are helpless and are used for money (it's a million dollar company), when they get too big they are not used anymore, they only breed them for their shows and once they get a certain age thats it for them.....'cause they can not be on the shows anymore..they sure would not let a child go in a cage with an adult tiger...this person who made the call to the city did it out of concern and I have to agree with her...this company just came in for the money and they will go to the next town....they made alot of money from the downriver residents, they are pros! " " Also, Josh, Those workers would NEVER get in a cage with an adult tiger or lion....Never....the workers are only trained to work the crowd for the money and once again they have duped the public....those poor animals....their fate will not be good...I'm a retired teacher and have been a advocate for animals for many many years and have also known about this G.W. Exotic Animal group for a long time, they are very sly and never let anyone know what town they are going to next. "protectanimals
" How can any reporter do a story about baby lions and tigers at a mall and not investigate how it was that they were bred into such a miserable life and what will happen with them in a couple of months when they are too big to pet. Any one with access to the Internet could easily find out that these precious animals will spend the rest of their lives in tiny, filthy cages, be shot for their pelts, cut up for meat or worse. If people don't know, it is because they choose to be ignorant, but that doesn't ease the suffering. More at Dying To Be Held http://www.bigcatrescue dot org/000news/0articlesbybcr/2008DyingToBeHeld dot htm "
" You are so right BIGCATRESCUE...the news herald was very partial with this article....they could have done more, they wanted this to be just another cute article...shame on them.....most of the article is centered around the people who put on the show...what do you think they are going to say..they are making a lot of money..they sugar coated the whole event..make phone calls and complain...I wonder if they will post any of these comments as a follow up in the paper...and phone calls need to go to the city hall and southland mall for allowing this......Why didn't the news herald reporter talk to the crowd about this animal show? They took one phone call and then went out and let the event employees make it look so great...and why wasn't the permit pulled prior to the show...how come that wasn't asked? How come this animal show wasn't advertised anywhere prior to coming? How come that wasn't asked? You know why...they don't want anyone to know they are coming to a local mall. How come the paper didn't asked "where do the animals go when they are grown, is it right to pull these babies away from the mother, how 'bout the baby kangaroo that should be in the mothers pouch not a purse hanging from a rack....the paper could have done BETTER asking questions.....maybe next time they will send a smarter reporter that thinks outside the box and doesn't just interview the event employees or take cute pictures of these babies....The paper should have had the pictures of reality of these tigers/lions stuck in cages or cut up for meat etc. Dear News Herald...take a good look at your cute little pictures you put in the newspapers of the baby tigers and I hope you always remember that cute little face will be shipped off when too big, sold for meat/hide/herbal and have a life of abuse before they are killed....next time news-herald TELL the whole story! " protectanimals
" PETA, DOESN'T THAT STAND FOR "PEOPLE EATING TASTY ANIMALS,
IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, LOOKING AT ANIMALS IN CAGES IS ONE THING, BUT ALLOWING PEOPLE TO GO INSIDE THE CAGE WITH A WILD ANIMAL IS NOT A GOOD IDEA, PERHAPS EVERYONE SAW THE HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR IN THE CAGE GETTING HER YEARBOOK PICTURE TAKEN IN MINNESOTA LAST YEAR, SHE WAS MALLED TO DEATH, (ITS OKAY THE TRAINER SAID, WE DO THIS EVERY YEAR!) WHAT ABOUT THE TELEVISION COMMERICAL CHIMP WHO RECENTLY ATTACKED BITING A WOMAN HANDS OFF, HER FACE, AND EYES, FORGOT ABOUT SIGFRIED & ROY, OR THE FAMOUS AUSTRALIAN CROCIDILE MAN? THIS WEEK ON THE NEWS A WOMAN FOUGHT OFF A COUGAR WHO ATTACKED HER SON ON A WALKING TRAIL, ANIMALS NEED TO BE SECURED IN A ZOO (TWO YOUNG MEN WERE KILLED RECENTLY AT SAN FRANCISCO ZOO WHEN A LION ESCAPED) LEAVE THEM IN THE WILD, & REMEMBER WHEN YOU VISIT YOU ARE PART OF THE FOOD CHAIN!!!!!!!!1 " hello
" Why would any parent let their child get in a cage with an animal?????This isn't like a visit to santa or the easter bunny. Bad Parenting! " why
" Who CARES to what group the woman who reported it belongs. You people are so busy shooting the messenger you've completely ignored the message.
You REALLY can't see anything wrong with taking babies away from their mothers? THREE WEEK old lion cubs don't send up a red flag with you? Three week old cubs (three MONTH for that matter) should be with their mother, and vice versa. SHAME on this greedy company for exploiting animals (AND taking advantage of people with thicker wallets than brains). " K
" The news herald is a great local paper and they do a good job however they got it wrong with this story. They need to tell the whole true story about this company and the future of these poor animals its like they just protected this company and forgot about the abuse to these animals. " freespeech - 1 year ago
- Views: 730
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Fercos Bros Tony Fercos Escape Fercos Bros Tony Fercos Escape Tiger
- From: TheirVoice
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Description:
Tiger's owner talks about cat's escape, 911 calls released
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Tiger captured after escaping near Torrey Pines & Elkhorn 
<SCRIPT LANGUAGE='JavaScript1.1'>if (document.layers) {document.write('<SCR' + 'IPT language=JavaScript1.1 SRC=/Global/ad.asp?type=single&cls1=News&src1=loc&spct1=100&sz1=wnsz_20&callType=script />'); document.close();}</SCRIPT> coreAdsCreate('wnsz_20', 'loc', '100', 'wnsz_20', 'News'); Looking out of the back window and seeing a full-grown wild cat roaming around is probably enough to get anybody's nerves going.
This was a reality for some neighbors near Torrey Pines and Elkhorn on Thursday night, after a pet tiger got loose!
The tiger's owner says he was walking his cat around on a leash, when the cat bolted.
"I didn't know he was gunna start to chase the rabbits. It's a suprise how fast he went after the rabbits," said Tony Fercos.
It what seemed like a split second, Fercos explains how quickly he lost sight of his tiger.
The white-colored bengal tiger is one of seven exotic cats owned by Fercos. All of the cats are part of his international magic act.
He says he was giving this particular tiger, named Picasso, special attention because he's recovering from an operation.
According to Fercos, he wouldn't normally be walking his cats around out in front in the dark. He learned what a mistake that was."I promise not to go any more in the front yard. Just by the perimeter fence, that's it," he said.
After a frantic search around the neighborhood, Fercos spotted his tiger about five houses down.
By that point, police were already en route.
"I was worried in case a police car gunna come and shoot him. You know that was my biggest worry."
Fercos has been in the 'show business' for most of his life and says he has owned exotic cats since the mid 70's.
He considers all of his wild cats as his "children" and doesn't believe they would ever go after a human.
"He's not some kind of wild animal, oh my god, he's gunna kill everybody. He's a calm tiger."
Even though this tiger didn't harm anybody, animal control is investigating. Since it's an "open case" they are not commenting about it right now.
On a lighter note, Tony Fercos and his four tigers, one lion and two leopards are set to tour South America in September.
He says he hopes they can somebody perform at his home in Las Vegas.
Stay with Action News for the very latest information.
- 1 year ago
- Views: 147
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Fercos Bros Tony Fercos Escape Fercos Bros Tony Fercos Escape Tiger
- From: TheirVoice
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Description:
Tiger's owner talks about cat's escape, 911 calls released
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Also on KTNV.com Tiger captured after escaping near Torrey Pines & Elkhorn <SCRIPT LANGUAGE='JavaScript1.1'>if (document.layers) {document.write('<SCR' + 'IPT language=JavaScript1.1 SRC=/Global/ad.asp?type=single&cls1=News&src1=loc&spct1=100&sz1=wnsz_20&callType=script />'); document.close();}</SCRIPT> coreAdsCreate('wnsz_20', 'loc', '100', 'wnsz_20', 'News'); 
Local News Headlines more>> Woman shares story of botched plastic surgery from a Vegas doctor M Resort to host free Health Fair Two groups trying to help the homeless on Sunday The end of "tent city"? Brazil busts prostitution ring; girls allegedly sent to Las Vegas Free museum entry for Bank of America cardholders Metro involved accident near Warm Springs and Jones Tiger's owner talks about cat's escape, 911 calls released Fremont St. auto vs pedestrian Man shot near Nellis & Vegas Valley Looking out of the back window and seeing a full-grown wild cat roaming around is probably enough to get anybody's nerves going.
This was a reality for some neighbors near Torrey Pines and Elkhorn on Thursday night, after a pet tiger got loose!
The tiger's owner says he was walking his cat around on a leash, when the cat bolted.
"I didn't know he was gunna start to chase the rabbits. It's a suprise how fast he went after the rabbits," said Tony Fercos.
It what seemed like a split second, Fercos explains how quickly he lost sight of his tiger.
The white-colored bengal tiger is one of seven exotic cats owned by Fercos. All of the cats are part of his international magic act.
He says he was giving this particular tiger, named Picasso, special attention because he's recovering from an operation.
According to Fercos, he wouldn't normally be walking his cats around out in front in the dark. He learned what a mistake that was."I promise not to go any more in the front yard. Just by the perimeter fence, that's it," he said.
After a frantic search around the neighborhood, Fercos spotted his tiger about five houses down.
By that point, police were already en route.
"I was worried in case a police car gunna come and shoot him. You know that was my biggest worry."
Fercos has been in the 'show business' for most of his life and says he has owned exotic cats since the mid 70's.
He considers all of his wild cats as his "children" and doesn't believe they would ever go after a human.
"He's not some kind of wild animal, oh my god, he's gunna kill everybody. He's a calm tiger."
Even though this tiger didn't harm anybody, animal control is investigating. Since it's an "open case" they are not commenting about it right now.
On a lighter note, Tony Fercos and his four tigers, one lion and two leopards are set to tour South America in September.
He says he hopes they can somebody perform at his home in Las Vegas.
Stay with Action News for the very latest information.
- 1 year ago
- Views: 382
-
Sad Thing Is, If They Are Wild Sad Thing Is, If They Are Wild, Nobody Really Cares!!!!!
- From: shelleyann
-
Description:
- 1 year ago
- Views: 290
- Forum: Animal Abus...
Joe Schreibvogel Says He HAS t Joe Schreibvogel Says He HAS to Breed Tigers
- From: Anon
-
Description:
Exotic animal display: Where the wild things are
Despite vociferous criticism from animal rights groups, traveling showman
says he offers a once-in-a-life experience
By _TRENT JACOBS_
(http://www.dailysentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/04/24/mailto:tjacob\
s@coxnews.com)
The Daily Sentinel
Friday, April 24, 2009
Lions, tigers and bears took over the University Mall earlier this week,
and tonight residents are promised a free anti-drug and alcohol magic show
at 6 p.m. in the middle of the mall concourse, courtesy of none other than
Joe "Exotic" Schreibvogel.
Schreibvogel is the ring leader of a traveling zoo and magic show that has
performed for audiences young and old across the country for several
years. Schreibvogel was to perform several magic shows earlier this week, but
his tour bus broke down, leaving him stranded at his animal park in
Wynnewood, Okla, After chartering a bus and starting an emergency fund-raising
effort to fix the bus, Schreibvogel was scheduled to arrive in Nacogdoches
sometime Friday afternoon. He said he will take the stage tonight before
heading back out of town Sunday.
Preceding Schreibvogel's arrival was an 18-wheeler trailer carrying baby
lions, bears and tigers that have been on exhibit at the mall all week. For
a $25 donation, mall patrons can take pictures and visit with the animals
for eight minutes. Schreibvogel owns and operates a non-profit animal ranch
in Oklahoma called the G.W. Exotic Animal Park. The park was founded in
1997 and named in honor of his brother, Garold, who was killed by a drunk
driver in Corsicana, Texas. Schreibvogel says his brother was passionate about
wildlife, and he now uses his traveling magic act to build awareness among
young people about the dangers of drugs, alcohol and bullying. He will open
and close tonight's show with songs he wrote about his father's inability
to express love to his dying son and how he was forced to take his brother,
who spent a week in a coma due to his injuries, off life support.
Schreibvogel says he is on a constant hunt for donor money to help keep
his park, which also houses various volunteers, afloat. He says he takes no
salary, and the only people on his payroll are the commercial truck drivers
he uses for the traveling baby animal show and to pick up meat for the
animals. He also mentions that he used his inheritance from his grandfather to
keep the park running and it's 1,400 animals fed, which he says takes about
$60,000 a month.
It's because of that large sum of money that Schreibvogel says he is
"forced" to breed young lions and tigers and take them out on the road. Despite
his claim that he gives the baby lions and tigers to zoos and other
accredited preserves, it is an action that animal rights groups like the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals oppose vehemently.
According to Lisa Wathne, who is a captive exotic animal specialist with
PETA, said, "Joe Schreibvogel is directly contributing to the exotic-animal
trade that he says he is against. But the truth of the matter is, he is
putting a lot of animals into that trade. It's despicable."
But Schreibvogel claims that patrons to his wildlife park cannot sustain
the costs of operation, and Internet scams have dissuaded people from
donation through his Web site. On the site, he talks about a crusade to save
"dying malls across America" and describes his traveling act as a
once-in-a-lifetime experience for the over 2 million people he meets a year.
"We help the malls, and they help us by letting us use the space for free.
I meet 2-year-old people and 95-year-old people that have a life dream of
being able to go see a tiger in real life. So, here they have the option to
sit in a cage, get educated, fall in love with and get a personal aspect
of a baby tiger that otherwise they would have never seen in their life,"
Schreibvogel says.
But it's that chance encounter that James Bias, spokesperson for the SPCA
of Texas, said is a misrepresentation of true wildlife advocacy.
"You know you're taking wild animals, regardless of how they've been
raised, and they are still wild and not domesticated, and putting them on
wheels and trucking them around. That's just not what these animals were geared
to do, and, of course, you're increasing their stress levels and the
potential for abuse," Bias said. "For somebody to claim that this is an
opportunity for the community to see wild animals up close, this usually
doesn't represent what their normal environment is. You're not going to see someone who's holding a tiger in a shopping mall realize that these animals deserve dignity. I mean this is the least dignified way for animals to be cared for."
In fact, Schreibvogel, his animal park and his traveling animal show have
all been fined and cited for numerous infractions by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, which is responsible for enforcing federal animal welfare
laws. In January 2006, the USDA filed a lawsuit against Schreibvogel, and he
along with his park were put on 18 months of probation for 14 infractions,
including poor living conditions for the animals, unsanitary conditions and
a general lack of proper care for the animals by untrained staff, the suit
said. Schreibvogel was also ordered to pay $5,000 in fines and has since
been taken off probation. Schreibvogel says the USDA "targeted" him after he
was cited for not having "a readily identifiable employee" within proximity
to some rescued baby deer. In a moment of passion, Schreibvogel says he
threw the USDA inspector who issued the citation out of the park a move he
now says he regrets. Schreibvogel says he is now in compliance with the
USDA and provided The Daily Sentinel with copies of 11 inspection reports
dated from November 2006 to January 2009 reflecting his claim, with only one
infraction concerning proper recording keeping.
Schreibvogel also claims that a YouTube video made during his probation
period in 2006 by the PETA group was a "frame job," and the undercover PETA
agent used sympathetic friends to incriminate the park. The video depicts
park volunteers debating whether or not to properly euthanize a lame horse.
They argue that using chemicals on the animal would prevent them from
feeding the meat to some of the other animals, and that a gunshot to the head
was more appropriate. The video also shows an animal handler hitting tigers
with the butt of a rifle and a goat with a horn ripped off exposing its
brain. The video says the goat was left injured for days before being shot and
fed to the big cats at the park. Another portion of the video has an audio
recording of one park volunteer explaining how easy it is doctor the "feed
report," because inspectors cannot prove you did not feed the animals on any
given day. The park volunteer goes on to acknowledge the park was in
violation of the law when the park ran out of meat and did not feed the animals
for three or four days. The volunteer also says they are only allowed to
fast the animals for a single day, according to U.S Department of Agriculture
regulations. "They can't go back, unless they've got video cameras out
here, and prove that we didn't feed them that day. There's no way they can go
back and prove we didn't feed them," the volunteer says to the undercover
PETA agent. Other parts of the video show park staff kicking and swatting
animals and shows the erratic behavior of some of the captive tigers and
bears, describing them as having gone "cage crazy" from lack of psychological
stimulus in their tight confinements.
Schreibvogel says that all but one of the employees in the video had been
fired for other infractions and that the USDA had cleared him of any
wrongdoing after an investigation into the claims made in the video.
Schreibvogel says that the animals he rescues come from private owners, and due to
newly imposed restrictions in cities across the nation on exotic-animal
ownership in the past decade, he has taken in dozens of animals like tigers and
chimpanzees.
Summing up his long-lived feud with PETA, Schreibvogel says, "They believe
the animals are better off being put to sleep rather than being put in a
cage. Unfortunately, I don't think that's fair."
In response, Wathne maintains PETA just wants Schreibvogel to change his
business plan, saying, "We don't want to euthanize his animals. What we
would like to see Joe do is stop breeding animals ... stop bringing them into
an already overcrowded world and into a situation where he has to dump the
animals after he's done using them, and provide the animals he has with
appropriate space, food and shelter. If he were operating as a true sanctuary,
we would have no concerns with him. And, in fact, we would support him just
as we support numerous other sanctuaries across the country." Vote for
this story!
_http://www.dailysentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/04/24/exotic_jo
e.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7& - Blog post
- 1 year ago
- Views: 332
Nay Aug wildlife housing has l Nay Aug wildlife housing has long, troubled past
- From: Guatemala
-
Description:
Nay Aug wildlife housing has long, troubled past
Princess Penny, a 21-month-old elephant, unties the shoe of a visitor. Times-Tribune archive - Sept. 1, 1966 Share This Story: 
document.write('<sc'+'ript src=\'http://d.yimg.com/ds/badge.js\' badgetype=\'text\' showbranding=\'1\'>the_timestrib696:'+document.location.href+'</sc'+'ript>')
the_timestrib696:http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/articles/2009/04/07/news/sc_times_trib.20090407.a.pg1.tt07genesis_s1.2427731_top2.txt
Yahoo! BuzzBY LAURA LEGERE
STAFF WRITERThird of three parts
The Nay Aug Zoo was a center of civic pride for decades after it opened in 1920. In 1924 and 1935, new elephants were purchased using money raised by schoolchildren, a penny at a time. In 1955, about 500 people visited each day. Footage compiled by Hank Robinson into a film about the history of the zoo shows the park crowded with visitors during a summer day in the 1960s. Copies of his film are available at all Lackawanna County public libraries.
When Genesis Wildlife Center was officially opened in November 2003 in one of the former zoo’s buildings, Mayor Chris Doherty called up that past.
“Even I remember coming here as a kid,” he said at the center’s unveiling. “The zoo was a big part of the city’s identity. The thing I didn’t anticipate with this project was how much of an emotional hold it had on people.”Critics of the wildlife center say the “emotional hold” of the park’s past — and a selective memory about the zoo’s history of mistakes — helps explain how the city has been able to persist in keeping exotic animals in an aging structure there.
“The mayor has very good company in our collective nostalgia for Nay Aug the way it was,” Eunice Alexander, a former Scranton resident, said. “I think it colored our thinking as a people. It just seems like we’ve allowed ourselves to think that we could have this.”
Ms. Alexander pointed out a “long history of keeping animals in too-small areas” at the park during a period when “we didn’t know any better.”
“But now, we know better,” she said.
A familiar debate
The debate over the future of the Genesis Wildlife Center is strikingly similar to the debate over Nay Aug Zoo that raged a quarter century ago, and another debate that flared two decades before that.
In 1983, the Humane Society of the United States named the zoo to a list of the nation’s 10 most substandard zoos. Sue Pressman, director of captive wildlife protection for the Humane Society, noted “the exhibits at the Scranton Zoo are so outdated and sterile that there can be no understanding of the animals’ natural behaviors.” She called even the newest exhibits “archaic” by the standards of modern zoology.
The chairman of the local Zoological Society at the time defended the zoo by pointing out it was licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and it was visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year.
“I think the city is getting more than its money’s worth,” said the chairman, W. Boyd Hughes.
Two decades earlier, in 1963, the Humane Society of Lackawanna County criticized the Zoological Society for its approach to renovating the zoo’s heating system, leaky roof and a drafty lion and tiger cage.
It had been a particularly dramatic year at the zoo: a bull elk gored to death a 10-week-old baby elk; a monkey bit the fingers of a zoo attendant who tried to capture it after it escaped; four monkeys and possibly a burro died from exposure to winter weather because the building was insufficiently heated; and a female lion killed two cubs after a faulty door allowed her to get into their cage.
“Zoos start in a spate of excitement and money, and gradually, both diminish,” Hilda Ziegler, the Humane Society’s secretary, said in her criticism of the renovations at the time. “The needs of the animals do not diminish when the money does. It is necessary to look ahead not only to next year but to the next 20 years.”
Tragic history
Before it closed in 1989 because of financial struggles, Nay Aug Zoo’s history was filled with stories of animal escapes, abuse by visitors and occasional tragedies.
In April 1964, two adult bears mauled to death a 2-year-old cub that had gotten into their cage. According to Scranton Times accounts at the time, three boys witnessed “the maelstrom of tangling fur, claws and teeth” as the young bear was killed.
Later that year, a 75-year-old zoo attendant was fatally gored by a bull elk that charged him while he was trying to protect employees fixing a water line. He died after suffering a crushed chest, collapsed lung and severe punctures of the abdomen.
In 1966, a capuchin monkey, described by zookeeper George Lowry as “on the ferocious side,” was shot and killed after it escaped from the zoo. That same year, a baboon was found dead in its cage with a fractured skull, evidently from being hit in the head with a metal bar.
In 1967, a 4-year-old alligator escaped for two days into Roaring Brook, where Mr. Lowry shot it twice in the head with a rifle, mortally wounding it. Less than a week later, someone entered the zoo and let a mountain lion out of its cage. The lion was tranquilized nearby, but during the excitement, an employee left open the cage holding a pony and two llamas, all of which briefly escaped.
The same month, Princess Penny, an elephant, choked on a stuffed toy that had been thrown into her paddock, and a zoo attendant had to retrieve the toy from her throat.
In 1970, a group of boys released two 350-pound Himalayan black bears from their dens. The bears were shot by police as they began wandering in the park near Lake Lincoln. A year earlier, a white fallow deer was found dead in the children’s zoo, near about 20 stones and a bloody 3-foot tree limb that had evidently been used to kill it.
‘Not a good zoo’
By the end of 1989, the joint city-and-county-run zoo was in debt and struggling to finance a plan to turn the zoo into a facility that better conformed to the natural environment of the hilly park or one that featured only animals native to North America. After a concerted effort to place the remaining animals in other zoos, the number of animals had dwindled from about 200 in the 1960s to three: two bears and an elephant.
By the time the last animal, Toni the elephant, was moved to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., it was acknowledged it had been unsuitable for the elephant to be kept without peers. It was also noted that a stiffening of the lower joint in her left front leg might have been exacerbated by standing on the concrete of her pen all day.
That year, for the second time in five years, the zoo was listed among the nation’s 10 worst zoos in an article published by Parade magazine. Although many defended the animals’ treatment at the zoo, Eleanor Ginader, a board member of the local Zoological Society said, “Truly, it is not a good zoo. We’d be the first to admit it.”
Three years earlier, in 1986, she had explained the problem with the zoo and a hope for its future.
“I’m sure that the Nay Aug Zoo in the 1930s was one of the finest examples of zoos at that time, but it is still a 1930 zoo,” she said. “It has not been updated; it has not kept pace with the times; it’s not had the money; it’s been one financial crisis after another, and so we have to change.”
She added, “We either have to have something that’s one of the best, even though it’s small, or we don’t have anything at all.”
Read more from the Concrete Jungle series
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- 1 year ago
- Views: 682
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