The USDA Has Now Invaded the Circus

What did the USDA do to the circus?
Today, USDA announced a “settlement” with Feld Entertainment the owner of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus for $270,000 in “alleged” violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) for what seems to be every “Non-Compliance” ($10,000 each) violation the company has had since 2007. “Feld Entertainment made a business decision to resolve its differences with the USDA. The company decided it was more important to focus on the future of its business by continuing to provide the best animal care possible instead of engaging in costly and protracted litigation.”

What is the REAL story?
Paul Harvey always did a good job at telling us “The Rest of the Story” and so I think all the people who raise, care for and have animals should hear how the animal rights activists (People Who Don’t Think We Should Own Any Animals) has hijacked a Federal Agency and our freedoms to own animals as Americans with it. It is easy to jump to the conclusion that the GOVERNMENT has caught some sort of torrid animal abuse going on by “Non-Compliance” but these can be as simple as not filling out paper work correctly: forgot to dot an “i” ($10K), cross a “t” ($10K), your vet disagrees with the Agency ($10K).

Why would an Agency who is supposed to care about the welfare of animals be bringing up non-compliance items?
If they were doing their job in caring for animals, why weren't these things dealt with on the spot and not dating back to the beginning of the Obama Administration? Well… because PETA and theanimal rights activist petitioned and appeared to have found a friend in the USDA General Counsel, Ramona Romero (Mother Jones Nov/Dec 2011) to do their bidding and to try and close The Greatest Show on Earth. Ramona, wasn’t alone in her actions she also had the help of former Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) attorney and animal rights activist turned USDA insider and Chief, Animal Health and Welfare Enforcement Branch, Sarah Conant the same one who fined a Family (Dollarhite Rabbit Case), THREE MILLION DOLLARS for allowing their son to raise rabbits and learn responsibility. By the way in their best year they raised $4,500 worth of rabbits! USDA now says “they can pay “just” $90,000 if they pay within 30 days… credit cards accepted.” You may remember, the recent leaked internal memo from this same agency allowing HSUS to provide oversight on animal welfare policy revealed by Senator Moran in his floor speech.

How will this affect us as pet owners and individual citizens?
If you raise/have animals all of these things could happen to you, as USDA Animal Care fueled by and staffed by the animal rights activist slowly creeps its mission into your backyard! The law needs to be changed to stop harassment of all people who care for/own animals from elephants to mice. If you agree with me, call the Secretary of Agriculture 202-720-3631 Tom Vilsack and tell him to stop harassing animal owners using the AWA! Then call, the House Agriculture Committee 202-225-2171, and the Senate Agriculture Committee 202-224-2035 and tell them the Animal Welfare Act needs to be changed to stop the harassment of animal owners.

Please forward to all animal owners you know… “And now you know the rest of the story.”