RFP Staff
♦ According to a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection of the Lazy 5 Ranch near Mooresville in mid March it was reported that several animals required veterinary care and that expired veterinary pharmaceuticals were found on the premises. The inspection was triggered by a series of complaints from People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a group that sometimes comes under fire for their tactics and super-vegan beliefs about animals as a food source. What is important here is the USDA reported the following in their March 17th findings:
• A female moulton was limping and may have been wounded on her left side
• A pregnant camel, far along in its term, had difficulty breathing
• A camel, that recently birthed, was removed from her calf due to a swollen udder
• A llama with an injured eye possessing a whitish-light blue discolored eyeball
The USDA report claimed a lack of veterinary documentation for the previously listed issues.
The USDA inspector uncovered expired veterinarian pharmaceuticals in a refrigerator and a medical cabinet:
• (2) bottles of Succinylcholine
• (1) bottle of Selenium Vitamin E
• (1) bottle of Oxytocin
• (1) bottle of High level Vitamin B Complex
• (1) bottle of Agrimectin
• (1) bottle of Sulfamethoxazole-Trimethoprim tablets
Elsewhere several Charlotte TV stations reported that a Lazy 5 Ranch spokesperson maintained the pharmaceuticals were used for commercial sheep and goats not kept at the Lazy 5 Ranch. The Pharmaceuticals are now discarded.
Further the USDA found that Lazy 5 Ranch shelters were damaged and ventilation issues were recognized in the giraffe barn leaving strong urine odor.
A Lazy 5 Ranch spokesperson said the barn doors were closed during the inspection to keep the animals warm.
The USDA inspector returned to the Lazy 5 Ranch 2 days after issuing their initial citations and reported that all of the non-compliant issues were corrected.
PETA filed complaints with the USDA resulting in the USDA citing the Lazy 5 Ranch in April of 2014. A Lazy 5 Ranch giraffe with untrimmed hooves became an overnight celebrity on regional TV. The USDA citations were resolved.
The Rowan Free Press recommends that whenever animal abuse or neglect is noticed, please report this immediately to the various animal activist groups, humane societies, and the SPCA. They are very experienced in getting results.
