Many of the thrilling photographs of bears, wolves, and tigers on your social media feeds are taken at game farms — places critics say are the exotic-animal equivalent of puppy mills
Vermont law professor Delcianna Winders said that even though the department’s documented findings were very critical of the conditions at Triple D, it’s rare that anything is ever done to properly enforce even basic animal-welfare standards. “The USDA is, without a doubt, failing to protect animals at the facilities it is supposed to regulate,” she says. “Even when the agency’s own inspectors document egregious violations involving suffering and even death, the agency fails to take meaningful action. On top of that, it continues to renew the facilities’ licenses to exhibit animals.”
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When animal-welfare lawyer Winders examines the Rivers Edge license and inspection report, she tells me, “It appears that Jay is trying to hide behind this new business name. Notably the Animal Welfare Act regulations prohibit holding more than one license. Unfortunately, it is not unusual for those facing enforcement to try to illegally hide behind other licenses.” She says that if the USDA revokes Triple D’s license, “it will be illegal for Deist to engage in any Animal Welfare Act-regulated activities — exhibiting animals, dealing animals, etc. — ever, under any name.”