An undercover investigation has revealed troubling practices at a well-known pet store chain. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has released damning video and information about the treatment of rabbits at a Petland store in Fairfax, Virginia.
HSUS discovered that employees at the retail store allowed ailing rabbits to die, rather than providing them with care. The animal welfare agency recounted what their investigator was told:
One employee told our undercover investigator that when rabbits get sick, “we just let them die.” Another said, “normally the sick ones just kind of die out.”
The agency’s investigator also learned that the rabbits acquired by the store come from “an unlicensed rabbit mill that is keeping 200 rabbits in dirty, crowded and inhumane conditions.” The investigator also found over a dozen dead rabbits in a freezer in the store, and the body of another in a basket which was “hidden” from customers beneath a table.
This isn’t the first time that Petland stores have been implicated in poor treatment of the animals in their care. According to HSUS, the stores are “frequently” linked to sick puppies:
The HSUS has received more than 1,300 complaints about sick puppies purchased at numerous Petland stores across the country since 2006. At the Fairfax store too, our investigator found puppies were frequently sick, with as many as 21 in isolation for illness or receiving medications at any given time.
If you are considering a rabbit for your family, please remember that many rabbits are in need of homes at your local animal shelter or area rescue agencies. Adopt don’t shop!
(Information via HSUS)
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This is nothing less than MASS MURDER!
This pet store chain needs to be shut down, if they won’t take care of the animals they are trying to sell, then they shouldn’t be in business!