Hawthorn Cries Foul--But Fair Remains Fouler

My mail this morning contained a typewritten letter from John Cuneo, President of the Hawthorn Corporation, the company that employs Juergen and Judit Nerger of the Champlain Fair’s Lion and Tiger Show. Mr. Cuneo was complaining that I’d misrepresented Hawthorn, which leases elephants, big cats and other animals to circuses, and he wanted to set the record straight regarding their violations of the Federal Animal Welfare Act.



• “Small Cages.” Cuneo explained that “the cages the animals were kept in were normal traveling cages. As their big cages had just been pasinted (sic) we did not move them until the next day but the inspectors have to find something.”



• What the inspectors actually found was that seven tigers had been housed in transfer/transport containers for almost two weeks. That’s a long time waiting for the paint to dry! Three of the cages, measuring just four feet high, with a floor footprint of 80 inches by 88 inches, held two adult tigers each, without room for the animals to really stretch or engage in what the inspectors called “postural adjustment typical of their species.”



• “Meat,” Cuneo continues. “We have special white fiberglass meat tables. There are posts in the corners and fly cloth is draped over them. Instead of just calling it to our attehtion (sic) she cited us. THAT’S INSPECTORS”



• What the inspection actually showed was that “frozen meat for 16 large cats” had been left in the sun for over four hours, covered with “pieces of a cardboard box” with “numerous flies landing on the meat.” No fly cloth, just scraps of cardboard protecting the food from infestation. The meat would have lain there another four-and-a-half hours, until after the day’s last performance at 7:00 p.m., according to the USDA, who noted that “meat thawed at temperatures in excess of refrigerator temperatures and with exposure to flies may become contaminated and not suitable for feeding and maintaining animals in good health.”



• “Guard Rope,” says Cuneo. “We have special guard fencing which they carry and which is used everywhere including Vermont. When they arrive they string a safty (sic) rope until the guard fence is unloaded. Of course they saw the rope and cited us.”



• Those pesky inspectors! What Mr. Cunceo didn’t dispute was that these were far from isolated incidents. Hawthorn Corporation has racked up almost $275,000 in fines for mis-handling or mis-treating their animals, and twice had their license suspended.


But hey, who's counting? As Champlain Valley Fair officials say, the Nerger Tiger and Lion Show is very "educational" and highly entertaining.



To learn the facts, you can find pdfs of the original United States Department of Agricutlure Inspection Reports online at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/Inspection_Reports/C%20-%20EXHIBITOR/IL/THE%20HAWTHORN%20CORPORATION%20-%2033-C-0053.pdf