(BROWN CITY) — An animal sanctuary in the Thumb that’s been the target of animal activists, has been cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for more violations. According to a February 23 inspection report released by the USDA, a 25-week old Tiger at Summer Wind Farms Animal Sanctuary in Brown City was caged in the basement of a house on the facility’s property and denied adequate veterinary care. Reports say the facility overall was filthy and filled with debris, the meat cooler reeked of rotten and decaying meat, and a food-preparation area was covered with blood. The USDA further warned that the “amount of animal husbandry issues at the facility” indicates “a lack of adequately trained employees,” which “can result in facility and animal conditions that result in unnecessary animal suffering.” The latest citations come on the heels of January’s formal complaint by the USDA alleging nearly 90 willful violations of the Animal Welfare Act documented at Summer Wind Farms between November 2012 and October 2015. The sanctuary has tigers, bears, monkeys, alpaca and foxes that were once pets, mascots, movie extras or roadside attractions. Chuck Vanneste, the sanctuary’s chief executive, said in the past that many of the animals would have been euthanized if Summer Wind Farms hadn’t taken them in.
