The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio mandated the surrender of more than 300 chinchillas from R & R Chinchilla Inc., adding to roughly 800 already relinquished to animal welfare organizations. Government inspectors had documented 59 Animal Welfare Act violations across 18 visits, citing noxious ammonia levels, feces-coated enclosures, untreated eye infections, and rat poison set near cages. To evade regulatory scrutiny, Ritterspach had hidden around 800 animals in an undisclosed building while falsely underreporting his inventory. The Justice Department filed a formal complaint following multiple license suspensions, ultimately forcing the permanent closure of the busin…
Key points
Federal authorities permanently revoked the breeding license of R & R Chinchilla Inc. fol…: Federal authorities permanently revoked the breeding license of R & R Chinchilla Inc. following severe neglect findings.
The enforcement action officially brings an end to more than 40 years of commercial opera…: The enforcement action officially brings an end to more than 40 years of commercial operations at the Ohio facility.
Intense ammonia fumes, feces-covered cages, and adjacent rat poison packets prompted the…: Intense ammonia fumes, feces-covered cages, and adjacent rat poison packets prompted the Justice Department's intervention.
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The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio endorsed a consent decree between the United States and R & R Chinchilla Inc., requiring the breeder to surrender the remaining 300-plus chinchillas at its facility in Jenera, Ohio.
The court order follows the voluntary surrender of approximately 800 additional chinchillas to animal welfare organizations under a modified temporary restraining order.
Photo of inside the separate building where about 800 chinchillas had been concealed
The breeder's owner, James F. Ritterspach, has also agreed to permanently stop all activities regulated under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). His AWA licence has been permanently revoked, theJustice Department announced.
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Ohio breeder allegedly hid 800 chinchillas from federal inspectors for years
According to the Justice Department, R & R Chinchilla Inc. and its president, James F. Ritterspach, were accused of repeatedly violating the Animal Welfare Act and failing to meet federal standards for the humane care, handling and treatment of approximately 1,100 chinchillas.The company has bred chinchillas for more than 40…
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