Fed inspectors find sick, dead animals at pet dealer ranch
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report on its January inspection of Holmes Chinchilla Ranch that said inspectors found dozens of animals in need of veterinary treatment for symptoms ranging from hair loss to eye abnormalities to lethargy.
USDA spent several days at Holmes after an animal-rights group shot video purporting to show substandard conditions at the dealer's facility in Barto, about 50 miles northwest of Philadelphia, where it keeps thousands of hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits and other species.
The video, which People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals shared with The Associated Press, included scenes of bins with dead guinea pigs; dishes filled with what appeared to be fouled water; loose cats that PETA said preyed on hamsters, mice and rats; live rats stuffed in a plastic bag and placed in a freezer; and a "waste-filled cooler" where dozens of small animals of varying species were dumped and gassed, "sometimes ineffectively," PETA said.