HANCOCK COUNTY — Over 1,000 chinchillas have been removed from a breeding facility in rural Ohio.
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The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio ordered the owner of a breeding facility in Jenera to surrender over 300 chinchillas.
This follows R&R Chinchilla’s voluntary surrender of roughly 800 chinchillas to animal welfare organizations pursuant to a modified temporary restraining order.
After receiving a referral from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that animals were in serious danger, the Justice Department in August filed a complaint against R & R Chinchilla and its president, James F. Ritterspach.
The complaint alleged failures on multiple occasions to comply with the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and its regulations and standards for the humane care, handling, and treatment of around 1,100 chinchillas at the facility.
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R & R Chinchilla has bred chinchillas for over 40 years.
Animal welfare inspectors observed Ritterspach ripping a four-by-six-inch mat of hair off a chinchilla while holding the animal by the tail
On Aug. 5, USDA inspectors gained access to evaluate this previously undisclosed building and found hundreds of animals in “dire conditions.”
Conditions included animals with swollen and oozing eyes, fecal material covering the entire floor of enclosures, open packets of rat poison kept next to enclosures, and more.
To report animal welfare violations, visit here.
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