Following a lawsuit brought by two local citizens—with the support of PETA and the Animal Legal Defense Fund—Jambbas Ranch, a squalid roadside zoo in North Carolina, has been found to be in violation of state cruelty-to-animals laws. The court found that Jambbas' treatment of Ben, a bear Jambbas kept confined to a tiny, barren pen made of concrete and chain-link fencing, caused him to suffer in violation of North Carolina law. The court also noted that Jambbas even failed to meet Ben's most basic veterinary, dietary, and environmental needs.
Fortunately, Ben has been given a chance at a new life at the Performing Animal Welfare Society sanctuary in California, where he is thriving in a vast natural habitat—one that is measured in acres, not feet and inches. He can now splash in his very own pool, rub his back on trees, and sleep soundly in a large straw nest or under oak trees.
But hundreds of animals are still languishing at Jambbas. In fact, inspectors routinely find animals in dire need of veterinary care at Jambbas—and sometimes even dead animals. And despite the cruel conditions that caused Ben to suffer in violation of state law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues to renew Jambbas' Animal Welfare Act (AWA) license year after year. Enough is enough. The USDA must take action. Now that Jambbas has been found to be in violation of cruelty laws, the USDA has no excuse. The AWA gives the agency clear authority to revoke a license when there are violations of cruelty laws, and it must act on that authority immediately.
Please take a moment now to join PETA in politely urging USDA officials to revoke Jambbas' license immediately, before even more animals suffer.
I am writing to urge you to revoke the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) license of Jambbas Ranch, a squalid roadside zoo where USDA inspectors have repeatedly found sick animals in dire need of veterinary care--and even dead animals. Jambbas' chronic violations of the AWA alone disqualify it from possessing an AWA license, and now Jambbas has been found to be in violation of North Carolina cruelty-to-animals laws for its cruel treatment of a suffering bear. This gives the USDA the clear authority to revoke Jambbas' license, and it is crucial that you exercise that authority before even more animals suffer and die. Can I please hear back from you soon that you are revoking Jambbas' AWA license?
