Eyewitness Reports: Injured Animals Languishing at Lazy 5 Ranch

PETA Asks Federal Officials to Take Immediate Action

For Immediate Release:
March 4, 2014

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

A visitor to Lazy 5 Ranch documented two cranes with large, open, bloody wounds with what appears to be exposed bone; a lethargic emu who failed to get up even when food was thrown near him; an obviously distressed pygmy zebu who was bellowing continuously; giraffes and a llama suffering from overgrown hooves, which has been an ongoing issue; and many other animals living in decrepit conditions and/or appearing to be in need of medical attention. PETA has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to investigate.

“For years, disgusted visitors to Lazy 5 Ranch have reported that animals were suffering from illness and injuries,” says PETA Foundation Deputy General Counsel Delcianna Winders. “Animal neglect seems to be the rule, not the exception, at Lazy 5 Ranch—and anyone who cares about animals should stay away.”

Henry Hampton, the owner of both Lazy 5 Ranch and a different menagerie in Ohio, has been under formal investigation by the USDA for more than three and a half years and has been cited for dozens of violations of federal animal-protection laws, including allowing a giraffe to die after getting her head stuck in an improperly closed gate, repeatedly failing to treat a giraffe who had severely overgrown hooves for more than a year, and allowing a baboon to suffer from a swollen and oozing eye for at least 17 months. In April 2012, a camel bit a child visiting the zoo—there were no barriers to prevent public contact with the animal.

For more information, please visit PETA’s blog.