UPDATE: PETA Seeks Justice for Escaped Wolf-Dog Found Dead
Update 6/10/2014:
Cheyenne, the wolf-dog hybrid who was still on the loose a full month after escaping from the Wolf Run Wildlife “Refuge,” has been found dead. According to news reports, it appeared that she had been struck by a car. While the other two escaped wolf-dogs, Luna and Lakoda, were captured quickly, a whistleblower has provided PETA with disturbing evidence that suggests that the roadside zoo’s director, Mary Kindred, deliberately allowed Cheyenne to remain at large or delayed her recovery.
Following the animals’ escape, PETA filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the agency cited the roadside zoo for failure to contain animals in safe and structurally sound enclosures. Wolf Run was ordered to repair and improve the enclosures immediately and capture Cheyenne as soon as possible. But any improvements came too late to help Cheyenne. Since Wolf Run’s violations resulted in Cheyenne’s death, PETA is urging the USDA to bring formal enforcement action against the roadside zoo, including fines and suspension or revocation of its license.
The following was originally posted on April 22, 2014:
It’s called the Wolf Run Wildlife Refuge, and last week, wolves ran from it. Three wolf or wolf hybrids escaped from an enclosure at the roadside zoo in Nicholasville, Kentucky, and one of the animals is apparently still on the loose. And as PETA looked into the issue, we found that Wolf Run might not be the “refuge” for animals that it claims to be.
Apparently, enclosures at Wolf Run aren’t sturdy enough to prevent animals from escaping and injuring themselves or other animals. According to a concerned citizen’s report, a ram recently sustained multiple fractures after he broke into a hybrid wolf-dog pen. Reportedly, although a veterinarian recommended euthanizing the injured ram, Wolf Run founder Mary Kindred—who is not a veterinarian—set the ram’s legs herself and transferred him to what appears to be an unlicensed animal exhibitor in Tennessee. It looks as though the ram received no veterinary care at all during the four weeks before he was transferred. Kindred appears to have violated the Animal Welfare Act, which requires providing animals with adequate veterinary care and safe and secure enclosures and also prohibits transporting animals to unlicensed facilities.
The escapes and the belief that these animals may not be the only ones at Wolf Run kept in substandard conditions have prompted PETA to send a letter urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to open an investigation.
