More than 1,100 chinchillas rescued from neglected Ohio breeding facility

More than 1,100 chinchillas have been removed from an Ohio breeding facility after federal investigators documented what officials described as serious and prolonged animal welfare violations.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio approved a consent decree requiring R & R Chinchilla Inc. and its owner, James F. Ritterspach, to surrender more than 300 chinchillas remaining at the facility in Jenera, Ohio.

Dig deeper:

The company previously surrendered roughly 800 additional chinchillas to animal welfare organizations under a modified temporary restraining order, according to the Justice Department. Humane World for Animals said it completed the rescue of nearly 1,000 of the chinchillas at the request of the Justice Department.

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The organization said some animals were missing limbs, toes or ears. Many were also suffering from severely matted fur, inflamed skin, overgrown teeth, scabs, sores and urine scalding, according to Humane World.

The chinchillas were transported to safety and are receiving veterinary treatment, enrichment and other care. Responders observed some of the animals rolling in dust baths, exploring new huts and perches, and eating straw, the organization said.

What they're saying:

"A thousand chinchillas sounds like a lot, but seeing the scale of the suffering in person was overwhelming," Mark Finneran, Humane World’s Ohio state director, said in a statement. "In buildings that appeared to have been neglected for years, we found row after row of chinchillas living in filthy cages."

The backstory:

The settlement permanently bars Ritterspach from engaging in activities regulated under the Animal Welfare Act. The U.S. Department of Agriculture separately revoked his federal license.

The Justice Department filed a complaint in August after receiving a referral from the USDA, alleging that R & R Chinchilla repeatedly violated federal standards for the humane care and treatment of approximately 1,100 animals.

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USDA inspectors conducted 18 inspections of the facility since September 2022 and identified 59 violations during the past four years, according to the complaint. Inspectors allegedly found animals with untreated medical conditions, excessive fecal buildup, unsafe levels of ammonia and deteriorating cages.

The complaint also alleges that Ritterspach concealed approximately 800 chinchillas in a separate building for years and falsely told inspectors that the facility housed between 300 and 450 animals.

When inspectors entered the undisclosed building on Aug. 5, they reportedly found hundreds of chinchillas living in what they described as dire conditions. Several animals allegedly had severely swollen and infected eyes, while fecal material covered the floors of hundreds of enclosures.

Inspectors also reported ammonia levels strong enough to cause them to cough and leave the building, open packets of rat poison near animal enclosures and a metal collar tightly embedded in one chinchilla’s neck. Multiple dead animals were also found at the facility, according to the complaint.

The Justice Department said the court issued a temporary restraining order on Aug. 21. A later modified order required R & R Chinchilla and Ritterspach to work with the government to surrender the animals.

"Animals cannot be abused, kept in dirty cages, and neglected so badly that they suffer or die," U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio said in a statement.

What's next:

Humane World said the rescued chinchillas will continue receiving medical care as they recover from their time at the breeding facility.