The large cats, bears, and different animals on the Barry R. Kirshner Flora and fauna Basis (Kirshner)—a roadside zoo in Oroville, California––reside in tiny, dismal chain-link cages with out get right of entry to to grass, bushes, swimming pools, or some other significant environmental enrichment.
A tiger named Majestic-Lapua in his cramped cage at Kirshner
Kirshner has a lengthy, troubling historical past of violating the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA)—which is liable for implementing the AWA—has again and again cited this infamous facility for failing to offer for even essentially the most elementary wishes of the animals it confines. The California Department of Occupational Protection and Well being (Cal/OSHA)—a state company liable for making sure place of business protection—has additionally cited the roadside zoo for failing to stay its staff protected.
Take a look at the timeline of citations from state and federal businesses underneath to find why PETA dubbed Kirshner the “Worst Roadside Zoo in The usa.”
2015: A Uncommon USDA Effective for Kirshner
In November 2015, the USDA hit Kirshner with a $5,464 penalty for 6 alleged violations of the AWA that came about between November 2011 and August 2014, together with one for failing to offer a tiger and a lynx with veterinary care and 4 for permitting participants of the general public to immediately (and dangerously) have interaction with lions, tigers, and a undergo.
The USDA handiest problems such consequences for egregious animal welfare violations, securing Kirshner’s position some of the worst of the worst roadside zoos.
A black undergo cub sits in a bucket of ingesting water inside of a cage at Kirshner.
2016–2019: 10 Extra Citations for Violating the AWA
In spite of the 2015 USDA penalty, Kirshner persevered to rack up citations for failing to care correctly for the animals it caged. From 2016 via 2019, the USDA cited the roadside zoo 10 occasions for violating the AWA.
Those lowlights illustrate the egregious struggling that animals persisted at Kirshner.
- July 20, 2016: The USDA cited the power for failing to care for a 16-week-old lion cub named Atlas correctly and safely after group of workers allowed a member of the general public to carry him with out the use of a harness or a leash. The inspector famous that he “looked to be suffering and pushing clear of the person retaining him.”
- April 26, 2017: The feds cited the operation for failing to offer a lynx who had a historical past of seizures with ok veterinary care. After enduring back-to-back seizures, he was once discovered lifeless in his enclosure. The USDA inspector famous, “The one remedy routine ever tried was once phenobarbital on my own, which was once no longer enough to adequately keep an eye on the seizures on this animal.”
- April 26, June 7, and June 26, 2017: The USDA cited Kirshner on every of at the present time over its failure to offer a lion cub named Lucie with ok veterinary care and a suitable nutrition. In step with inspection studies, she turned into “critically lame, uncomfortable, and unwilling to face,” and on the request of USDA officers, radiologists reviewed imaging of her bones and decided that they confirmed indicators “in most cases noticed in metabolic bone illness, which will also be brought about via a nutritional deficiency.”
- August 15, 2019: Kirshner was once cited for failing to offer animals with cooling measures in triple-digit temperatures. The USDA inspector famous that a number of animals “had been panting and seemed uncomfortable and sizzling.” Within a den field the place a clouded leopard was once seen panting, a thermometer confirmed the outside temperature to be about 106 levels. Underneath the deck within the ringtail enclosure, it was once round 110 levels.
Lucie in opposition to the fencing of her tiny enclosure
2021–2022: Kirshner Receives Extra Than a Dozen Further AWA Citations Plus More than one Consequences From Cal/OSHA
From January 2021 via June 2022, the USDA doled out 13 extra AWA citations to Kirshner––a median of 1 quotation each six weeks. In seven immediately USDA inspection studies, officers detailed lots of the identical issues, indicating that this seedy facility was once it sounds as if incapable of adjusting its problems or unwilling to take action.
The intense problems documented at The usa’s worst roadside zoo brought about animals to undergo and jeopardized their welfare. They integrated insufficient veterinary care, mistaken dealing with of animals, and insufficient cooling measures all over sizzling climate.
- January 7, 2021: The USDA cited Kirshner for failing to have a sound written program of veterinary care.
- June 22, 2021: The USDA cited Kirshner over an incident in February 2021 wherein a volunteer was once injured via a leopard named Royal whilst she was once within the giant cat’s enclosure. Cal/OSHA later fined the power $1,800 for permitting this incident to happen. The Cal/OSHA abstract defined that the leopard had jumped at the volunteer after she fell down and began biting her across the neck, causing puncture wounds that required hospitalization. The leopard escaped their number one enclosure and was once deemed “a risk to the neighborhood till [the animal] was once again inside of [the] number one containment,” in step with a California Division of Forestry and Fireplace Coverage record.
- August 11, 2021: USDA officers cited Kirshner—once more—for failing to offer animals with cooling measures, this time on an afternoon forecasted to succeed in 106 levels. The inspector famous a number of animals who seemed uncomfortable, specifically those that had been obese, together with a tiger, a tiger/lion hybrid, a leopard, a lynx, and a clouded leopard. The inspector additionally seen that a large number of cats had been exhibiting visual indicators of worked breathing, akin to open-mouth respiring, owing to the warmth.
- August 11, 2021: Kirshner was once cited for failing to offer a deer who had overgrown hooves with ok veterinary care, which might motive discomfort and result in accidents or lameness.
- November 1, 2021: Kirshner was once cited for failing to inform its veterinarian a few coatimundi’s progressing hair loss and wounded leg. It additionally didn’t notify the vet a few wolf who was once continuously pacing round an enclosure, to the purpose of dressed in a deep observe into the bottom.
- January 4, 2022: Kirshner didn’t care for a snow leopard in some way that minimized the chance of injury to the animal, incomes the worst roadside zoo in The usa but every other quotation. This got here after a Kirshner volunteer took the snow leopard to a juvenile detention facility, the place two other people had been photographed retaining the cat.
- April 22, 2022: Stemming from a PETA criticism, Cal/OSHA once more cited and fined Kirshner according to a number of social media posts appearing group of workers dangerously dealing with a leopard who was once too massive and too mature to be treated safely via participants of the general public.
- June 15, 2022: Kirshner was once cited for failing to believe the mental well-being of a ring-tailed lemur who was once being housed on my own after the loss of life of every other lemur.
An obese tiger/lion hybrid named Topaz status within the nook of a cage
What You Can Do for the Giant Cats, Bears, and Different Animals at The usa’s Worst Roadside Zoo
By no means purchase a price tag to Kirshner or some other roadside zoo the place animals languish in depressing prerequisites. Please let your folks, members of the family, and social media fans know why they will have to do the similar.
And please urge the Barry Kirshner Flora and fauna Basis to ship the animals it exploits to respected amenities, the place they may in any case get the care they desperately want: