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For immediate release:
July 8, 2021
Contact:
Moira Collie 202-483-7382
Fillmore County, Minnesota. – After PETA presented the results of its covert investigation at the Moulton Chinchilla Ranch (MCR) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the agency inspected the Fillmore County breeding factory and noted it with many quotes from the Federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA), noting at least 42 examples violations of four AWA requirements.
According to a June 2 report that just went public, MCR owner Dan Moulton hasn’t treated chinchillas or even noticed they suffer from chronic painful conditions, including puffy eyes, obstructed secretions, overly long teeth and other oral health problems, and hair loss. Chinchillas were found in matted coats, and Moulton admitted that he had no dust for the animals to bathe for three to four weeks. Animals in dozens of cages were exposed to dangerous, sharp metal, and the accumulation of waste under hundreds of cages was so intense that the smell of ammonia irritated the eyes and throats of inspectors.
“Dan Moulton has over the years left sick, injured and even dying chinchillas suffering neglect in his filthy breeding factory,” says PETA Senior Vice President of Investigation of Cruelty Daphne Nachminovich. “Since he clearly cannot or does not want to provide these animals with basic necessities, PETA encourages him to close this hell hole and allow these chinchillas to receive proper care in appropriate homes.”
The USDA has cited MCR more than 100 times since 2013 for failing to comply with the AWA’s Minimum Health Care Standards, leading the agency to file a pending complaint against Moulton alleging that he intentionally violated federal law. The violations continue even after local law enforcement agencies executed a search warrant at MCR in January, the results of which have not yet been released and are pending prosecutorial review.
Photos from PETA investigation available here… PETA, whose motto is in part that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way,” is opposed to arrogance, a worldview focused on human superiority. For more information please visit PETA.org or subscribe to the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram…
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