Group Cites Danger to Neighbors, Sworn Eyewitness Account of Beatings, Filthy Conditions, and Throwing Hot Water on Animals
For Immediate Release:
November 14, 2012
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Enterprise, Nev. -- PETA has sent an urgent letter to the Clark County Board of Commissioners asking all members to vote on November 21 to deny a special zoning permit to Clark County resident Stacy Jones to allow her tenant, notorious animal exhibitor James "Mike" Casey, to keep four chimpanzees and a capuchin monkey on the residential premises.
According to sworn eyewitness testimony and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection reports, Casey has a history of physically abusing chimpanzees, confining them in dark and squalid conditions, and depriving them of adequate enrichment. In its letter, PETA points out that in addition to Casey's abuse of animals, he is also placing his neighbors at risk because chimpanzees are extremely powerful and often dangerous animals—especially when they are abused and denied everything that's natural and important to them. PETA also cites a sworn affidavit by a man who witnessed Casey kicking and punching the chimpanzees, striking them with sticks, and dousing them with hot water. A USDA inspector verified that Casey used his fist to strike one of the chimpanzees, Kenzy, and threw hot water from a cup of tea at either Kenzy or one of the other chimpanzees. The USDA recently issued Casey an official warning for denying proper care to Bently, a juvenile chimpanzee.
"Zoning laws that prohibit keeping wild and dangerous animals in residential communities were created specifically to stop situations like this one from happening," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. "By denying this zoning permit, the Clark County commissioners can protect these primates from routine abuse and protect the neighbors from potentially fatal attacks at the same time."
For more information, please visit PETA.org.