A huge step to fight animal abuse and prevent neglect has been taken by the pet stores we all know and love. Petco has recently dropped one of their main suppliers of small animals such as rabbits, cats, guinea pigs, and hamsters.
According to the New York Post, a farm in Pennsylvania has been dropped by the pet stores after a video surfaced on the internet of the farm displaying horrendous and horrifying treatment of their animals. The video shows animal torture such as freezing them and gassing them with carbon dioxide. Other forms of abuse included leaving large amounts of the small animals trapped together in small crates during the shipping process and storage. The video also shows animals roaming freely among the farm, negatively interacting with other small animals. The New York Post and Youtube shared a video from PETA that can be watched below: The video does contain dark images and scenes.
PETA, which stands for People for Ethical Treatment of Animals visited Holmes Farm in Pennsylvania and arrived to a place that "reeked of urine and feces." As stated by USA Today, a PETA worker spent three months undercover at the Holmes Farm and launched the investigation. Claims were made, such as no veterinary care for the animals and the workers refusing to check signs of life among the animals before selling the bodies as feeders.
According to Fox59, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) spent many days at the farm after the video was released and is currently in an ongoing investigation to find other signs of animal neglect presented at Holmes Farm. The farm is not answering any questions about the incident, but they are being cooperative with the USDA.
On the New York Post, it says that Petco has severed ties with the pet distributor, releasing this statement to its customers and buyers, "We take animal care very seriously and we expect the same of our suppliers. In short, we hope you’re happy to learn that we have ended our relationship with Holmes Chinchilla Ranch."
Videos of the investigation and incident can be watched on NBCSanDiego.com.
