The owner of a Maryland exotic animal farm, which sells the poor creatures as pets for profit, has been charged with animal cruelty after he let three zebras escape into the unknown and unsuitable Maryland wildnerness. For one of them, the freedom was short-lived when it was caught in a snare trap — a body-gripping hunting device that rarely kills, but often only breaks an animal’s flesh and bone, leaving it trapped and struggling in agony as it dies for days. The zebra “most likely died of dehydration after a period of a few days struggling in the trap,” according to an officer with the Maryland Natural Resources Police.
County officials are still trying to bring the other two zebras to safety. But if and when they do, they must not be sent back to the nightmare that is Jerry Holly Exotics. Holly was also found guilty of neglecting the over 30 other zebras in his care, not providing them nutritious enough or large enough quantities of food. Plus, he obviously wasn’t providing them with proper shelter, which would have kept them safe from escape. It was also noted by officials that caretakers were clearly not checking on the herd enough, since the zebra that had escaped died in a snare very close to their enclosure but wasn’t spotted or heard as it died.
Jerry Holly cannot be allowed to send another exotic animal to a horrible fate. Sign the petition demanding that Prince George’s County shut down this exotic breeding farm, and send all of its animals to safe, reputable sanctuaries!