Sign Petition Urging Closure Of Minnesota ‘Petting Zoo’ That Kills Protected Wolves For Their Fur

A so-called petting zoo in Lakeville, Minnesota has animal advocates outraged and determined to have it closed down as soon as possible, in order to spare the lives of more animals being illegally killed for their fur.

According to a Care2 petition, animals, such as cougars, bobcats, lynx, foxes and gray wolves are living in inadequate conditions at Fur-Ever Wild and ultimately being murdered for their pelts.

Perhaps unaware or indifferent, visitors reportedly pay to “volunteer and help feed the animals”, as well as, to take selfies with them.

Fur-Ever Wild states nothing about the animals’ ultimate fate on its website.

Making its actions even more questionable, is the fact, that gray wolves are a protected species under the law. The gray wolf was a listed species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) from 1978 until 2012. The federal government put these wolves back on the “threatened” list in 2014.

So why is it that Fur-Ever Wild can kill gray wolves with impunity when they decide they want to?

The ESA prohibits the “taking” of listed species, which means that no one can “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct.”

It is also illegal to sell, offer to sell, transport, ship, carry, deliver or receive any Minnesota gray wolf in interstate commerce, as well as, to possess a gray wolf or her parts.

The exception to these prohibitions is the incidental take permit, which allows a person to take the gray wolf “incidental to, and not the purpose of, the carrying out of an otherwise lawful activity” or “for scientific purposes or to enhance the propagation or survival of the affected species.”

But Fur-Ever Wild, which owner Terri Petter has previously described as primarily a fur farm, reportedly does not possess such a permit.

In an attempt to stop this cruel practice, the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ADLF) and the Lockwood Animal Rescue Center (LARC) filed a lawsuit against Fur-Ever Wild on September 29, 2017, in federal court in Minneapolis.

The complaint alleges that Fur-Ever Wild violated the ESA by killing threatened gray wolves, selling their body parts and providing inadequate care to the animals.

Problems with Fur-Ever Wild are not new and somehow Fur-Ever Wild has managed to keep its doors open, but perhaps this latest lawsuit will change that.

This kind of “petting zoo” should not exist.

It is appalling that Fur-Ever Wild can benefit from putting a protected species on display and later killing it for even more profit. The Endangered Species Act exists for a purpose, and it should be respected and enforced.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION URGING THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICES TO SHUT DOWN THIS ILLEGAL WOLF FUR FARM HERE!