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Wildlife Refuge Director indicted in violation of the Endangered Species Act |
Amarillo, TX |
July 19, 2005 |
On
July 19, 2005, the owner of a facility called the "Amarillo Wildlife
Refuge" was indicted on criminal misdemeanor charges in connection with
offering to sell two clouded leopards and a white tiger cub across U.S. state
lines (from Texas to Oklahoma), which is illegal without federal permits.
The owner,
The facility operated by Azzopardi is located in Amarillo, Texas.
(Photo courtesy of the International
Primate Protection League)
His facility exhibits chimpanzees, gibbons, and other primates, in addition to a variety of other wild animals, particularly big cats. According to the Amarillo Globe-News, Late Tuesday afternoon, state and federal wildlife agents emerged from the Amarillo Wildlife Refuge north of Amarillo and said the property was considered a crime scene.
Unfortunately, many facilities now call themselves "refuges" or "sanctuaries" while selling or otherwise profiting from the exploitation of wild animals. Misleadingly, the facility’s Web site proudly announces itself as the "Amarillo Wildlife Refuge - Protectors of the Wild." The "refuge" has been granted tax-exempt status by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and solicits donations from the public.
(Photo courtesy of PETA) In 2003
PETA investigated the "refuge" and the group’s undercover worker
took video footage of Azzopardi and an assistant darting a mother gibbon in
order to procure her baby. IPPL was provided a copy of a video of this capture
by PETA. The father gibbon presumably had already been separated from his
mate. Outside the cage, Azzopardi and a female assistant were struggling to
shoot the hysterical mother gibbon down with a tranquillizer-loaded blow dart
to remove her tiny, clinging baby. The gibbon mother’s distress as she moved
nervously around her cage was made obvious by her fear-- diarrhea, a typical
gibbon reaction to a stressful situation. No veterinarian was present during
the traumatic capture.
Later footage shows the tiny baby gibbon, now permanently separated from his mother, wrapped in a reddish-brown furry blanket, being shown off at a public place. The poor infant was surrounded by gawking humans.
Now the self-styled "protectors of the wild" are charged with crimes against wildlife.
Update July 27, 2006:
PETA sent an urgent letter to Chester A. Gipson, associate duputy administrator of the US Department of Agriculture's veterinary services unit, urging him to revoke Azzopardi's license.
Azzopardi was convicted on federal charges of illegally selling wild and exotic animals in violation of the Endangered Species Act. Azzopardi was sentenced to 180 days of home confinement and 3 years probation and ordered to pay $2000 in fines.
Reference:
International Primate Protection League
PETA