Texas Wildlife Center Repeatedly Violated State Laws Governing the Keeping of Dangerous Animals
For Immediate Release:
March 30, 2011
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Amarillo, Texas — After discovering that the Texas Wildlife Center (TWC) has repeatedly violated multiple provisions of Texas' Dangerous Wild Animal Act (DWA), a county resident has filed a 13-page petition against Potter County Sheriff Brian Thomas asking the court to compel him to immediately revoke the Amarillo-based menagerie's certificates to keep dangerous wild animals, including tigers and chimpanzees. The DWA requires that the sheriff "shall revoke" the certificates whenever a holder violates the act.
TWC's repeated violations of the DWA include failure to report attacks on humans within 48 hours; failure to report the whereabouts of six tigers, two cougars, a lion, a jaguar, and three chimpanzees; failure to possess liability insurance; and failure to provide the Texas Department of State Health Services with copies of certificates.
"The law is clear, and so are the Texas Wildlife Center's violations of it," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Sheriff Thomas must do his duty and immediately revoke the certificates of this cruel and dangerous operation, which has shown nothing but contempt for the welfare of its animals, the safety of the public, and the laws of Texas."
TWC is no stranger to run-ins with the law. Owner Carmel Azzopardi—who formerly did business as Amarillo Wildlife Refuge (AWR)—has repeatedly violated the federal Animal Welfare Act and was convicted of violating the Endangered Species Act. In a 2003 investigation of AWR, PETA found primates who were dead in their cages, other primates who were suffering from raw and infected wounds, and a tick-infested tiger cub with green nasal discharge and blisters on his footpads. The investigation also revealed that AWR had placed children in danger during a photo shoot with tigers and had failed to provide veterinary care to scores of dying rabbits who were suffering from broken bones, head injuries, eye infections, and more.
The petition to Sheriff Thomas is available upon request. For more information, please visit PETA.org.