Report: Camel Farm animal care lacking
Yuma petting zoo owners dispute PETA claims
PETA released a report from the most recent federal inspection of the Camel Farm, a Yuma petting zoo and breeding site that has been cited for numerous violations of the Animal Welfare Act by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“The Camel Farm’s rap sheet is full of failures to provide animals with essential veterinary care,” says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet. “The animal suffering on display at this ramshackle roadside zoo is exactly why PETA is suing the USDA for automatically renewing the licenses of cruel law-breaking exhibitors.” The organization, officially known as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, filed a lawsuit against U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and the USDA May 15 for allegedly allowing licensees to certify themselves as being in compliance with the welfare act despite having numerous violations noted on their record.
The suit cites the licensing of six small zoos across the country, including the Camel Farm, as the grounds for legal action.
Camel Farm owner Terrill al-Saihati said Thursday she disagrees with many of the citations issued by USDA, and so do many of the visitors the attraction continues to get.
“Since the last newspaper article, we’ve had several people visit the farm who have told us they read the allegations and came to see for themselves. These individuals all indicated they saw no problems with the facility and care of the animals,” she said.
According to the report, released by the government to PETA through a Freedom of Information Act request, an inspector found that about 18 animals were not being provided with adequate veterinary care.
Two animals which have been noted in previous inspections for health conditions which the agent
didn’t think were being sufficiently cared for were euthanized after the inspection, according to the report: an elderly sheep named Goldberry said to be excessively thin and hadn’t improved after being put on a veterinarian-recommended diet, and Thor, a goat whose limping had been noted in reports since last year.
A 2-month-old sheep who was having trouble walking was also euthanized, after a veterinarian determined it had possibly suffered a spinal injury.
Zo, a dromedary camel with a growth on his chest who is the subject of a crowdfunding campaign, was mentioned in the report, along with a fennec fox with hairless and inflamed knuckles, a limping coatimundi and an ibex hybrid being treated for an eye infection.
The report also said 10 goats and sheep and one zebu were in need of hoof trimming, an issue which also has been cited in previous reports.
Water dishes were empty for three of the approximately 200 animals being cared for at the site during the inspection, and sharp edges considered to be possible hazards were cited in several enclosures.
Responding to the citations in the April 10 inspection report, al-Saihati said she did not want the sheep and goat to be euthanized, but the inspector told staff she would continue to get citations about them.
She said the animals were not suffering, but “the USDA apparently does not agree that animals should be able to live their lives out in peace, but must be restored to prime of life condition or else destroyed.”
The camel’s growth has been examined by three veterinarians who agreed that it would be more dangerous to try to remove the tumor than to leave it, with one believing it is a “skin tag.”
The hooves of the animals cited in the report have already been trimmed, and she does not think they were long enough to affect the animals’ health at the time of the inspection.
“We reiterate that people are encouraged to visit and see for themselves,” al-Saihati said.
Andre Bell, a spokesman for the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in Washington D.C., confirmed the Camel Farm is a licensee but said he could not comment any further because it is considered a “homestead business” and has additional privacy protections. Reports for most facilities are available through the USDA’s website.
According to an APHIS fact sheet, facilities subject to the Animal Welfare Act include commercial breeders, research facilities and transporters of animals, as well as zoos and other exhibitors. All are subject to inspections, and any deficiencies in care or facilities will be noted.
The agency can consider legal action if deficiencies are not corrected, the document said, adding, “Repeat noncompliances and serious incidents may warrant enforcement actions such as letters of warning, monetary penalties, license suspensions and revocations, and confiscations of animals.”