Suffering, Death at PETCO Animal Supplier Revealed in PETA Sting

Authorities Descend on Massive Georgia Animal Warehouse That Supplies Stores Nationwide

For Immediate Release:
April 22, 2010

Contact:
Daphna Nachminovitch 757-622-7382 

San Diego -- This morning, law-enforcement officials entered the Atlanta warehouse of Sun Pet Ltd., a company that supplies small mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and other animals to stores nationwide, including San Diego-based PETCO. Today's action by law enforcement was prompted by evidence gathered during a three-month PETA investigation, which documented that animals at Sun Pet were cruelly killed, abusively handled, and forced to live in severely crowded, filthy conditions. The following incidents were among the findings of PETA's investigation:

* A worker put hamsters in a plastic bag and bashed the animals against a table.
* PETCO stores shipped sick and injured animals back to Sun Pet without providing veterinary care or food and water for the long journey, causing many animals to suffer and die. 
* Sun Pet bought thousands of animals from unlicensed vendors despite previous warnings from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to desist.
* Sun Pet sold hamsters who were purchased from U.S. Global Exotics (USGE), a company from which more than 26,000 cruelly treated animals were recently seized by authorities following a PETA investigation.

PETA's investigator, who worked at Sun Pet for more than three months, never saw anyone from PETCO's corporate offices inspecting Sun Pet's facility. This is PETA's fourth investigation revealing the abusive and filthy conditions endured by animals who are eventually sold at PETCO stores. In addition to PETA's investigations of Sun Pet and USGE, the group has investigated Texas-based Rainbow World Exotics, with which PETCO continues to do business.

"PETA's investigation shows that for PETCO, it is business as usual to keep buying animals from companies that have a record of abuse and failure to provide veterinary care to sick and injured animals," says PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "At these facilities, animals are treated like disposable objects, and no thought is given to the fact that they are living beings."

PETA has turned evidence over to local, state, and federal law-enforcement agencies for investigation, and the group is calling on PETCO to end the sale of animals in its stores.

For more information and to view the video footage, please visit PETA.org.