Petition 1 of 3
Originally posted by Tiffany White on animal petitions.org
Target: Tom Vilsack, Secretary of U.S. Department of Agriculture
Goal: Appropriately punish man accused of neglecting and recklessly caring for zebras.
Three on-the-loose zebras have drawn headlines in Maryland since August. The plight of these animals is much more than just a zany headline, though. At least one of the zebras died after being caught in an illegal snare trap allegedly set by the zebras’ caretaker, Jerry Lee Holly. The poor animal reportedly succumbed from dehydration and starvation.
This tragedy could have been avoided if someone in authority would have taken needed action.
Holly calls himself an exotic animal trader. In fact, the three escaped zebras were part of a group of 40 that this man reportedly has on his property. The truly outrageous part of this story: the U.S. Department of Agriculture had allegedly cited Holly over 100 times in both Maryland and Florida for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Despite these citations, nothing was apparently done, and Holly just kept collecting more animals to potentially put at risk. Now, both the escaped zebras and the animals still under Holly’s care are apparently in imminent danger.
Sign the petition below to demand the agency responsible for looking after the welfare of animals do its job.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Secretary Vilsack,
This agency claims that individuals or groups guilty of “serious or chronic violations” of the Animal Welfare Act receive more severe penalties than the standard slap-on-the-wrist warning. Why, then, was a man cited for 100-plus violations of said act allowed to continue trading exotic animals unfettered? Why did it take the escape of three zebras (and the subsequent painful death of at least one) for Jerry Lee Holly to be charged with animal cruelty?
You must fix this broken system of enforcement. Please begin by giving Holly’s case a high-priority designation. He more than meets the criteria of severity, public safety concerns (some zebras are still on the loose), and extensive public interest. Help make this tragic set of circumstances an example for anyone who flagrantly and recklessly violates their duty of care to innocent living beings.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Sign this petition here: https://animalpetitions.org/1049346/runaway-zebras-allegedly-mistreated-by-animal-trader-deserve-justice/
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