'Animal Prison' Has Lost Its License Before for Violations; This Time, Police Are Denied Entry at Controversial Roadside Zoo

For Immediate Release:
February 18, 2010

Contact:
Lisa Wathne 757-622-7382

Palm Harbor, Fla. -- Today, PETA sent an urgent letter to Dr. Elizabeth Goldentyer, regional director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) animal care division, urging her to immediately investigate a February 12 chimpanzee attack at the misleadingly named Suncoast Primate Sanctuary Foundation, Inc. (SPSF) in Palm Harbor and to revoke the facility's license if violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act are found. According to news reports, two chimpanzees escaped from an enclosure at SPSF, and one of the animals mauled a volunteer, sending the woman to the hospital with a broken arm and several severe bites. When a Pinellas County sheriff's deputy arrived to investigate the attack, he was denied entry by SPSF personnel. The deputy noted that SPSF staff members were "uncooperative," "evasive," and "deceptive." SPSF is not a "sanctuary"; it is roadside menagerie with a long history of Animal Welfare Act violations. The facility's license has also been revoked in the past--a serious federal action.

"Chimpanzees are highly intelligent and social animals who become ticking time bombs when places such as the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary Foundation lock animals up and deny them everything that's natural and important to them," says PETA Director Debbie Leahy. "The only way to ensure that this pathetic facility stops mistreating animals and endangering the public is to shut it down for good."

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA's letter to Dr. Elizabeth Goldentyer, regional director of the USDA's animal care division, follows.

February 18, 2010

Dr. Elizabeth Goldentyer
Regional Director
USDA/APHIS/AC

Dear Dr. Goldentyer:

Please consider this letter an official request for the USDA to investigate the following regarding the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary Foundation, Inc., (SPSF) in Palm Harbor, Fla., license #58-C-0910. If violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) are identified, we urge you to pursue revocation of SPSF's USDA license.

Numerous media reports indicate that on February 12, two chimpanzees, Shawn and Lucy, apparently escaped from a secondary cage that was not properly secured and entered a cage that was being cleaned by a female volunteer. Both chimpanzees reportedly charged the woman, and the 10-year-old chimpanzee, named Shawn, attacked and mauled her. The woman apparently struggled with the chimpanzee, at one point ending up outdoors, before she was able to stop the attack by locking herself in a bathroom. During the attack, SPSF visitors were asked to leave, and the facility was placed on lockdown. The chimpanzees were ultimately recaptured.

The volunteer was treated at a hospital for serious injuries, which reportedly included a severely broken arm and bites on her head, thigh, back, and abdomen.

The circumstances surrounding this incident appear to violate AWA regulations, specifically sections 2.131(b)(1), 2.131(c)(1), 3.75(a), 3.80(a)(2)(iii), and 3.85.

A St. Petersburg Times article reports that when a Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy responded to the scene, he was denied access to the facility, was repeatedly told by SPSF staff that the victim was not seriously injured and that they did not know where she was, although he later learned that the injured woman was inside the facility during the time that he was trying to gain access. The deputy reported that SPSF staff were "uncooperative," "evasive," and "deceptive" about the incident.

As you know, SPSF has a history of AWA violations that led to the revocation of its USDA license in 1999, and it took almost nine years for the facility to qualify for a new license. The recent attack and the facility's reportedly uncooperative response to local authorities indicate continued dangerous and unprofessional conduct at SPSF.

We ask you to please thoroughly investigate this incident, pursue strict enforcement of the AWA, and revoke SPSF's USDA license. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Lisa Wathne, Captive Exotic Animal Specialist