USDA Protects Captive Wildlife Stakeholders

Tags

animal rights, Animal Welfare Act, AZA, conservation, Doc Antle, HSUS, inspection reports, PETA, racketeering, transparency, USDA/Aphis, ZAA

Million dollar swimming enrichment and interactive learning facility at TIGERS

HSUS Smear Campaign
Last month the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) attempted to smear the good name of TIGERS with lawmakers in South Carolina. They passed out a handout characterizing TIGERS as a “roadside zoo,” alleging “violations” of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA), and citing “inspection reports” from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Well nothing could have been further from the truth. TIGERS has never had a violation of the AWA. And now USDA has taken steps to prevent animal rights activists from misusing their good work to defame legitimate stakeholders.

As some of you may know, there is a bill in the South Carolina legislature that seeks to regulate the ownership of big cats, non-native bears and great apes. It will require owners to have a USDA license or register their animals with local animal control. Last month, TIGERS attended a committee hearing on the bill at the House Agriculture Committee. During the hearing HSUS testified that they would like to see all primates added to the list of animals regulated, and further, they wanted all owners to be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), a private trade association that has the endorsement of HSUS with an agreement to promote HSUS ideology.

Intention to Deceive
After the hearing, the HSUS lobbyist gave the bill sponsor a handout that implied TIGERS was a sub-par “roadside zoo” with multiple “violations” of the AWA. As evidence, the handout cited USDA “inspection reports.” When the citations in the handout were followed, they didn’t lead to the USDA website, but to the website for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA). PeTA, using the publicly available, pre-decisional reports that had been available on the USDA website, had created their own ideologically based interpretations designed to make stakeholders look like villains. The actual reports were quite benign, and amounted only to minor “non-compliance” issues that every zoo deals with every day.

A teachable moment is a minor non-compliant item that: 1) the facility is willing and able to correct quickly; 2) is not impacting the welfare of any animal(s); and 3) has not previously been cited. — USDA/APHIS, January 2016

There is a huge difference between a “non-compliance” issue, and a “violation.” These minor compliance issues are easily corrected prior to USDA follow up; facts conveniently omitted by PeTA, and happily exaggerated by HSUS to indict TIGERS for “violations.” Violations are serious, and constitute grounds for USDA to revoke a stakeholder’s license. Again, TIGERS has never had a violation of the Animal Welfare  Act.

TIGERS/ Myrtle Beach Safari
The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (TIGERS) is one of the top wildlife preserves in the country. We are accredited by the Zoological Association of America and licensed, inspected and regulated by the USDA. Our facility is built outside of Myrtle Beach on 50 acres and houses approximately 100 animals. We have invested millions of dollars in a state-of-the-art, interactive facility that is unmatched anywhere in the country. Our investment in handler training, humane care, secure containment, and enrichment for our animal ambassadors, is far beyond what is required by the USDA. We are proud of the fact that we bring millions of tourist dollars into South Carolina every year.

Tree House and Rope Bridge at TIGERS

USDA Moves to Protect Stakeholders from Animal Rights Abuses
Because of abuses by HSUS, PeTA and other animal rights groups, the USDA has changed it’s policy about the types of information made available on their website.

USDA/APHIS is implementing actions to remove documents it posts on APHIS’ website involving the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) that contain personal information. These documents include inspection reports, research facility annual reports, regulatory correspondence, lists of regulated entities, and enforcement records (such as pre-litigation settlement agreements and administrative complaints) that have not received final adjudication.— USDA/APHIS, February 4, 2017

The USDA decision to provide some protection from the malicious characterizations of USDA  reports is supported by the Zoological Association of America (ZAA), the second largest zoological accrediting body in the United States.

For too long the Federal Government through the USDA has been violating the privacy of citizens with its acts of intrusion in the name of transparency. The USDA records availability were intended for use by animal welfare advocates to monitor government regulation of animals and the treatment of wild and domestic animals. However, this welfare information soon became the fuel and ammunition of animal rights activists in a smear campaign to discredit zoos and animal owners.— ZAA, February 9, 2017

HSUS/ PeTA Track Record
It is important to understand, that while groups like HSUS and PeTA portend to protect animals, their interest is purely ideological. The primary mission of most animal rights groups is to raise money using slick propaganda designed to tug at the heart strings of an animal loving American public. They are very good at this, but HSUS and PeTA are not in the business of caring for animals. The idea that with no practical experience they could analyze and interpret USDA reports without ever visiting a facility is preposterous.

Marketing materials showing abused dogs and cats suggest HSUS plays an active role in caring for homeless pets, however according to HSUS’ 2015 annual report, they took in over $194 million with less than 1% donated to animal shelters. They operate no animal shelters on their own. But HSUS did find enough in their budget to spend over $33 million on fundraising. Additionally, in 2014 HSUS and co-defendants were forced to pay almost $16 million to settle a Racketeering Lawsuit filed against them, after the judge discovered evidence of witness tampering and bribery by an HSUS subsidiary and their attorneys.

PeTA is just as bad, maybe even worse. According to a watchdog group, in 2009 PeTA “rescued” 2366 dogs and cats. 31 were transferred to other facilities. 8 were adopted out. 2,301 were killed at PeTA’s little shop of horrors in Norfolk, VA. That’s a kill rate of over 97%. PeTA’s idea of “rescue” appears to be euthanasia on a grand scale.

Thank You to the USDA/APHIS
It is a huge step for USDA to limit the ease with which animal rights groups abuse efforts at transparency. We consider USDA to be a crucial partner in creating an ever improving environment for our beloved animal ambassadors. With the help of USDA we bring the message of conservation of these magical creatures to thousands of people every year.

Doc Antle, Director of TIGERS and the Rare Species Fund

Don’t Touch the Tigers!

Tags

Animal Welfare Act, Born Free USA, Fund for Animals, HSUS, Rare Species Fund, RICO Act, USDA

Animal trainers Doc and Kody Antle — ©Rare Species Fund

Issue
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is considering a change of regulations that could jeopardize conservation efforts at TIGERS/RSF. In 2012 a group of radical animal rights groups, led by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), petitioned USDA to “prohibit public contact with big cats, bears and non-human primates of any age.” USDA has accepted public comment, and will now decide the issue within the scope of the administrative “rule making” process. There will be no congressional vote nor oversight.

TIGERS/RSF Interactive Conservation
As most of you know, The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (TIGERS) and the Rare Species Fund (RSF) facilitate the most cutting edge interactive wildlife experience in existence. We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and bring millions of dollars into the local economy annually. Over the last decade we have donated over $1,000,000 as well as our time, effort and expertise, to grassroots conservation programs around the world.

At our Preservation Stations, our wildlife ambassadors; great apes, big cats, elephant and a stunning group of other highly interactive animal ambassadors, offer our guests a collection of experiences that can be life changing. While at the preserves, the participants’ senses are awakened to a whole new world; feeling the leathery hide of our elephant, the soft touch of a lynx, the sweet smell of a binturong and the heart pounding sound of tigers running at 55 miles per hour.

Our visitors see animals they know and love displaying their spectacular natural talents and have encounters with new ones they never knew existed. During these encounters our guests connect with wildlife in a very intimate way, which personally involves them in the lives of these amazing animals. They then walk away into the world with a desire to save these creatures and help preserve their environments. We often hear the opposite from those in the animal rights arena; that these experiences do not have an impact on the desire of people to go out and be a more active part of wildlife conservation. However, we have seen first hand, and have spoken to countless individuals who have had these experiences that are now actively involved in conserving those species.

All of our encounter programs are conducted in accordance with USDA’s rules and policies under the Animal Welfare Act, and our highly trained staff ensure that visitor and animal safety is a priority at all times. We believe our programs are a testament to the fact that interactive encounters can be a safe, positive, and truly impactful experience for the public, as well as a stimulating and socializing event for our animal ambassadors themselves.

Petitioners
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the lead petitioner, and largest animal rights organization in the world, has become the bully of the animal welfare world. In 2014, HSUS and their subsidiary and co-petitioner, The Fund for Animals, along with Born Free USA (co-petitioner), settled a $15 million racketeering lawsuit filed against them by Feld Entertainment under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) after the court discovered the animal rights groups had paid a plaintiff for his participation in a related Endangered Species case, and then attempted to conceal those payments from the court. HSUS has since tried to distance themselves from their misdeeds by claiming that they inherited the lawsuit when they acquired The Fund for Animals, and therefore were not responsible for actions by the organization prior to acquisition. However, at the time of the acquisition, Wayne Pacelle, current CEO of HSUS, was the CEO of The Fund for Animals, and became CEO of HSUS in the wake of the acquisition. Pacelle is the primary signatory on the petition, and was the leader of The Fund for Animals when the transgression occurred, and the  RICO lawsuit was originally filed.

The petitioners not only mischaracterize animals welfare concerns in their petition, but they disparage all who don’t support their ideological goals. Further, several of the petitioners have recently expressed sentiments calling for an end to all zoos in the United States. Preferring that all zoo animals be transitioned into “last stop sanctuaries” until their deaths. With that course of action wildlife in zoos would become a thing of the past in about one generation.

Conclusion
USDA is currently assessing whether they will make an administrative change in the rules governing public contact. TIGERS/RSF understands that USDA is obligated to field all properly submitted petitions, but USDA is also bound to ascertain the credibility and motivations of the petitioners. In light of the philosophical bias exhibited by the petitioners, USDA should be careful not to allow powerful special interests to incrementally dismantle animal ambassador programs under the guise of animal welfare. It is clear that in an animal rights utopia, there are no animals in captivity for any reason. HSUS and their fellow petitioners seek to undermine conservation through manipulation of the Animal Welfare Act. With their recent record of transgressions under the RICO Act, USDA should question closely any information proffered by this unreliable source.