National watchdog asks Mahaska County to file criminal animal cruelty charges against Ruby Fur Farm
Media Coverage About SAEN Stop Animal Exploitation Now

ACTION ALERT:

Contact:

James Q. Blomgren, County Attorney
Mahaska County, Iowa
[email protected]

SAMPLE MESSAGE:

Please investgate the horrible conditions at Ruby Fur Farm which have been documented by feeral ispectors and then immediately file criminal animal cruelty charges against this facility.

Federal Animal Care & Veterinary staff have seen many animals at this facility which had not received veterinary care and were living in extremely unsanitary conditions. These clear violations of Iowa animal cruelty laws must not be ignored and ust be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

 

National watchdog asks Mahaska County to file criminal animal cruelty charges against Ruby Fur Farm
By Oskaloosa.com, December 4, 2017

An Iowa fur farm – already cited for breaking federal law which could lead to $1 million in fines – may soon be facing state criminal charges, according to a national watchdog group that has now filed an official complaint with Mahaska county authorities.

SAEN (Stop Animal Exploitation Now), an Ohio-based watchdog nonprofit, has asked Mahaska County Attorney, James Q. Blomgren to file criminal charges for multiple violations of Iowa Animal Cruelty statutes by Ruby Fur Farm – which, if found guilty, could be charged with misdemeanor offenses and have its animals confiscated.

The allegations include from 2015 – 2017, when Ruby Fur Farm failed to provide adequate care under Iowa Code 162.10A, provide adequate housing as required under Iowa Code Chapter 162.10A(1) and provide "a temperature which is comfortable to the species within an enclosure" be maintained under Chapter 67.2(2)e.

SAEN also claims Ruby Fur Farm also violated Iowa Code Chapter 162.10A which requires provision of adequate feed, and other incidents from 2015 - 2017 which violate requirements for adequate sanitation in Chapter 67.3(2)2.

SAEN's Animal Cruelty Complaint and all relevant federal reports are available here.

The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture documented all of the alleged violations of Iowa animal cruelty laws during official federal inspections of Ruby Fur Farm by USDA Animal Care Specialists and Veterinary Medical Officers.

SAEN has previously called on the USDA to immediately terminate all business connections with Ruby Fur Farm, which had previously provided animals to the USDA for use in experimentation. SAEN has also called for USDA regulators to fine Ruby Fur Farm the maximum – $10,000 per infraction/per animal, which could lead to a fine in excess of $1 million.

SAEN cited the following citations taken from USDA reports as examples of the extreme conditions which have existed at Ruby Fur Farm:

"....One dead, decomposing, headless juvenile ferret was found incorporated into the fecal material buildup on the wire floor in the corner of the cage. One live adult and six juvenile ferrets are in this enclosure..Under several enclosures containing raccoons, there are numerous live maggots present in the piles of excreta...Raccoon Building has a high ambient temperature and humidity... temperature as taken by the Kestrel at the beginning of the inspection upon first entering the building is 93.5 degrees F with a heat index 100.7"

"Mahaska County Attorney James Q. Blomgren should throw the book at Ruby Fur Farm," said Michael A. Budkie, a SAEN co-founder and executive director. "Federal animal care and veterinary experts have documented dozens of incidents which clearly violate Iowa state animal cruelty laws. There should be no doubt whatsoever about the credibility of these abuses."

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