Eyewitness Video Shows Suffering Tigers at Summer Wind Farms

PETA Exposes Tiny Cages and Filthy Conditions at Michigan Roadside Zoo

For Immediate Release:
May 24, 2017

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

A PETA eyewitness exposé of Summer Wind Farms Sanctuary has documented that animals suffer at the Brown City roadside zoo. A 2-year-old tiger named Daisy suffered from a condition that affected her balance and reportedly caused seizures and vision loss, and a tiger named Mohan was reportedly denied pain medication for what the roadside zoo initially claimed was arthritis but now says are torn ligaments—a treatable condition for which Mohan apparently unnecessarily suffered because of Summer Wind Farms’ chronic neglect. Bears also paced in distress, social primates were confined alone, and animals were forced to live in muddy pens, among other issues.

In response, PETA has sent a letter calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to investigate the facility for apparent violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and to confiscate Daisy, who’s been suffering from an undiagnosed and untreated condition since at least September 2016. PETA has also alerted local authorities to the eyewitness’s findings.

“This 2-year-old tiger should be running, jumping, and playing, not stumbling through mud inside a metal fence because Summer Wind Farms either can’t or won’t provide her with adequate veterinary care,” says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet. “PETA is calling on the authorities to act now to ensure that this tiger gets the care that she needs at a reputable sanctuary.”

Summer Wind Farms could only speculate about whether Daisy’s condition was caused by an ear infection, brain damage, or distemper—and acknowledged that it couldn’t afford the diagnostics and treatment that she needs.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—notes that Summer Wind Farms has racked up more than 200 AWA violations in just three years. Past USDA inspection reports stated that the roadside zoo had a “culture of indifference” that amounted to “animal cruelty” and put “all animals at the facility in danger.”

For more information, please visit PETA.org.