Crying Lambs Beaten on the Face With Metal Rod at Western Heritage Meat Company; PETA Seeks Criminal Probe
For Immediate Release:
July 16, 2025
Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382
A just-released U.S. Department of Agriculture report reveals that an individual at the Western Heritage Meat Company slaughterhouse near Sheridan beat up to 10 lambs with a metal rod, prompting PETA to send a letter this morning to Sheridan County Prosecuting Attorney Dianna Bennett urging her to investigate and file appropriate criminal charges against the perpetrator.
According to the report, on March 24, a federal inspector witnessed the suspect pushing, shoving, and striking the lambs repeatedly with a two-foot “metal stick” across the head, face, and back hard enough to cause an audible “whipping sound” as he attempted to force the reluctant, crying animals into the “stun box.”
“These lambs’ last moments on Earth were spent in terror and misery as they were trucked to a slaughterhouse and beaten mercilessly,” says PETA Vice President of Legal Advocacy Daniel Paden. “PETA is calling for a criminal investigation on behalf of these lambs and urges everyone to please go vegan to help spare others from suffering in slaughterhouses.”
PETA is pursuing charges under state law because federal officials haven’t prosecuted any inspected slaughterhouses for acts of abuse since at least 2007.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness and free vegan starter kits for anyone thinking of making the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
PETA’s letter to Bennett follows.
July 16, 2025
The Honorable Dianna Bennett
Sheridan County Prosecuting Attorney
Dear Ms. Bennett:
I’m writing to request that your office (and a law-enforcement agency, as necessary) investigate and file applicable criminal charges against the person responsible for beating and shoving lambs at Western Heritage Meat Company, located at 42 E. Ridge Rd., near Sheridan.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) documented the incident in a report that the agency recently made available to the public. (See attachment.) According to the report, on March 24, an FSIS inspector saw that approximately 10 lambs were hesitant to move as staff desired. The inspector saw a man—who had arrived to unload other lambs at the slaughterhouse—grab a 2-foot-long “metal stick” and strike “multiple lambs with the metal end of the … stick” across their face, head, and back. The suspect was also “pushing [and] shoving” these lambs, who were crying out and trying to flee from him.
Please note that FSIS’ simple report on the matter carries no criminal or civil penalties and does not preempt criminal liability under state law for acts of cruelty to animals.
The acts described above appear to violate W.S.1977 § 6-3-1002, which prohibits anyone from unnecessarily beating an animal. The egregious abuse of these animals is not covered by the exemption of “industry accepted agricultural … practices on livestock” from prosecution. Wyoming law affords these victims their only chance at a small measure of justice. We urge your office to seek it.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Daniel Paden
Vice President of Legal Advocacy
Cruelty Investigations Department
