{"id":782293,"date":"2026-11-06T10:08:58","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T15:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/animalrightswatch.us\/?p=782293"},"modified":"2026-11-06T10:27:40","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T15:27:40","slug":"more-than-1100-chinchillas-surrendered-by-pet-breeder-after-federal-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/animalrightswatch.us\/?p=782293","title":{"rendered":"IT’S ABOUT TIME: More than 1,100 chinchillas surrendered by pet breeder after federal investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Federal inspectors said the building was in the worst condition of any facility they had ever inspected, with ammonia levels so high they had to leave the building. Fecal matter covered the entire floor of hundreds of enclosures, and animals were found with their eyes so swollen and oozing with discharge that they couldn’t open them. Animal rights group PETA said it alerted authorities, and it later helped rescue more than 150 chinchillas while federal authorities worked to remove the rest. Laura Koivula, Humane World for Animals’ director of animal crimes and investigations, said ‘It was like walking through a factory of forgotten souls’.<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

MADELINE BARTOS:<\/strong> An Ohio pet breeder is surrendering over 1,100 chinchillas after a federal investigation into “deeply troubling” conditions at the facility. The Department of Justice announced on Tuesday a consent decree with the owner of R & R Chinchilla Inc. to surrender over 300 animals left at its breeding facility. The court order comes after the breeder already voluntarily surrendered more than 800 chinchillas to animal welfare organizations.<\/em><\/p>\n

After learning from the Department of Agriculture that the animals were in “serious danger,” the Department of Justice filed a complaint against R & R Chinchilla and its president, James Ritterspach, alleging failures to comply with the Animal Welfare Act on multiple occasions… The Department of Justice said the owner has agreed to permanently stop any Animal Welfare Act-regulated activity, and his license has been permanently revoked…<\/em><\/p>\n

Inspectors gained access to the undisclosed building in August and found hundreds of chinchillas in “dire conditions,” with multiple animals already dead, the Department of Justice said. Inspectors said the building was in the worst condition of any facility they had ever inspected, with ammonia levels so high they had to leave the building, the DOJ said. Fecal matter covered the entire floor of hundreds of enclosures, inspectors reported, and animals were found with their eyes so swollen and oozing with discharge that they couldn’t open them…<\/em><\/p>\n

Animal rights group PETA said it alerted authorities to the missing chinchillas, leading investigators to find the 800 hidden animals, and it later helped rescue more than 150 chinchillas while federal authorities worked to remove the rest. Humane World for Animals said it also helped in the case, removing 951 chinchillas from the now-shuttered facility.<\/em><\/p>\n

Laura Koivula, Humane World for Animals’ director of animal crimes and investigations, said in a press release. “It was like walking through a factory of forgotten souls. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the chinchillas settle into a safe place and express natural behaviors, like enjoying their first dust baths in our care. We are grateful to the Department of Justice for securing their surrender so they can have a chance at a better future.” <\/em>SOURCE<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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