PETA Statement: Removing Animal Records Shields Abusers

For Immediate Release:
February 3, 2017

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Below, please find a statement from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) sudden removal of all animal records from its website:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s surprise, abrupt removal of all inspection reports and information about laboratories, circuses, roadside zoos, and other facilities that confine animals and use them for their own gain is a shameful attempt to keep the public from knowing when and which laws and regulations have been violated. Many federally registered and licensed facilities have long histories of violations that have caused terrible suffering, such as when laboratories scald monkeys and other animals to death because incompetent staff left them in cages put through high-temperature washers or when roadside zoos deny veterinary care to sick and injured animals and lock them in cramped, squalid cages. Public taxes fund these agencies, and the public should not be kept in the dark because the feds would rather shield abusers than hold them accountable.