UPDATE: (Bad) Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From Holmes Farm Tree
UPDATE: The USDA recently published another report that shows additional violations. For the fifth consecutive time, a federal inspector visiting Arts Animals has found violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Art Holmes was cited again for leaving hamsters with rusty feeder lids, which they chew on, and algae-contaminated water bottles, among other things.
Originally posted June 14, 2016:
In May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) posted a 10-page inspection report of Holmes Farm, a massive Pennsylvania animal mill and the subject of a recent video exposé by PETA. The report indicated that USDA inspectors had found at least 117 violations of 14 federal regulations. Petco, PetSmart, and Pet Supplies Plus have all announced that they have dropped Holmes Farm as a supplier, and Holmes Farm remains under federal investigation.
One part of that federal investigation is Holmes Farm’s small-animal manager Clinton A. “Art” Holmes, who breeds animals at a separate facility called Arts Animals. Not surprisingly, his own record is equally deplorable: The feds have found at least 60 hamsters whose water source was green with algae, rusty cages with chewed-up feeder lids, poor ventilation, and unsanitary conditions that included rodent feces on the floor where hamsters’ food was stored, which led an inspector to note that the room housing hamsters smelled like “ammonia.” Five of the last six routine USDA inspections—including the last four, dating back to November 2014—have found violations.
What You Can Do
Ask PetSmart and Petco to stop selling animals—period.
