Video: Monkey Mutilating Himself at Maple Lane Farm

PETA Calls On Feds to Inspect Roadside Zoo After Footage Shows Animals Displayed Inside Tiny Cages and in Apparent Need of Veterinary Care

For Immediate Release:
July 26, 2017

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Armed with damning video footage, PETA sent a complaint this morning requesting that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) investigate Maple Lane Wildlife Farm for multiple animal-welfare concerns, including regarding a juvenile capuchin monkey who was used as a photo prop—and who was documented biting and hitting himself in apparent psychological distress.

According to PETA wildlife veterinarians, this abnormal behavior is likely the result of being prematurely separated from his mother, confined to a tiny cage, and denied the companionship of other capuchins, who live in groups of 10 to 35 individuals in nature. PETA also notes that a tiger at the roadside zoo was documented pacing on the concrete floor of a cramped cage, which can lead to osteoarthritis and foot injuries such as blisters and ulcers. A bear also repetitively swayed his or her head—another sign of suffering and stress.

“At Maple Lane Wildlife Farm, animals are confined to barren cages with nothing to do but wait for visitors to toss food to them,” says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet. “PETA is calling on authorities to inspect this roadside zoo and ensure that these animals receive the care that they need and are entitled to by law.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—also alerted the USDA to animals at Maple Lane who were in apparent need of veterinary care, including a wolf with flystrike, a painful injury to the ears caused by fly infestations, and possible sunburn on the ears. Many animals were denied adequate shelter from the rain and sun.

In 2011, the USDA issued two official warnings to Maple Lane for numerous violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. Violations since then have included failure to provide adequate veterinary care, properly clean animal enclosures, maintain safe shelters for the animals, and more.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.