Animal rights and welfare organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has once again filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture against Serenity Springs Wildlife Center in Calhan, Colo. This time, the accusation involves illegal and unethical handling of cubs.Serenity Springs has already taken some heat from PETA regarding issues of neglect and violations of the Animal Welfare Act, including the deaths of animals at the facility. PETA filed a complaint with the USDA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, asking the latter to deny a breeding permit for Serenity Springs.In December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service denied Serenity Springs a breeding permit for a certain species. Serenity Springs can appeal the decision.PETAís latest cause for concern came after the organization obtained photos of children handling a 10-day-old tiger cub, barely weaned from its mother, at the wildlife center. According to a Jan. 6 news release from PETA, ìSerenity Springs also invites the public to visit its Calhan facility to take photos and interact with lion cubs who appear to be younger than 8 weeks old.îSerenity Springsí website lists photo opportunities with cubs at $25 for up to four people.Delcianna Winders, the PETA Foundation director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement, said taking 10-day-old cubs from their mothers before they are weaned compromises their immune systems. Although they are cute and cuddly, she said the cubs are still wild, which also puts the public at risk.The practice violates the Animal Welfare Act, which prohibits stressful or excessive handling of young animals, Winders said. The USDA also discourages the public handling of cubs 8 weeks or younger. Even with the AWA and USDA regulations and guidelines, Winders said the handling of young animals is ìunder-regulated.îJulie Walker is the director of operations for Serenity Springs. She said none of the complaints are true. ìInspection violations have been about scratched posts,î Walker said. However, documents indicate otherwise. According to inspection reports, the USDA has cited numerous issues at the center, including injuries to the animals and the public handling of 7-week-old cubs.As far as the accusation that cubs are taken too early from their mothers, Walker said cubs born in captivity ìmost often have to be hand reared Ö parents wonít always raise them.îWalker said Serenity Springs gets the cubs from facilities all over the country. One of those is GW (Garold Wayne) Exotics in Oklahoma, which is being investigated by the USDA for the deaths of two tiger cubs, improper handling of animals and inadequate facilities.Getting cubs is easy, Walker said. ìBreeders have excess ñ they sell cubs for exhibits, zoos Ö but we have never purchased them.îProcedures on handling cubs have been set up by their veterinarian, Walker said, adding that the centerís main goal is education and the preservation of species. Although the cubs can never be released back into the wild, Walker said they serve as an educational tool for the public.Serenity Springs website includes this statement: ìWe have to do what we can for this species of big cat, in captivity as well as in the wild, as the numbers are dwindling fast.îThe big cat numbers in captivity, however, are far from dwindling, Winders said.ìWith as many as 10,000 big cats in the U.S., cubs are a dime a dozen,î Winders said. ìMost of the big cats are in private hands.î She said people actually purchase cubs as ìpets,î but when they get quite large, the animal ends up in garages or basements or in the wildlife centers. ìIn many states, buying a cub is easier than buying a dog,î she said.Tanya Espinosa, public affairs specialist for the USDA Legislative and Public Affairs division, said they have received PETAís latest complaint and are ìlooking into it.î Espinosa said Serenity Springs is under investigation for another issue as well, which she said she could not reveal until a determination is made. Winders said the investigation Espinosa is referencing is about cubs that have died at Serenity Springs.According to PETAís Jan. 6 news release, about one-third of the animals at Serenity Springs have died over the last five years.Walker said the death rate at the center is not unusual, and all animals at Serenity Springs receive individualized care from licensed veterinarians.Espinosa said the public can view USDA ìmonthly enforcement actionsî on their website at http://aphis.usda.gov.
