Target: Eli Savit, Washtenaw County Prosecutor, Michigan
Goal: Seek maximum legal penalties, restitution, and lifetime animal ownership bans for those who allegedly neglected more than 120 animals in traveling petting zoos.
Rescuers reportedly removed over 120 animals from a traveling zoo, including dogs, cats, horses, ponies, a donkey, goats, sheep, a rabbit, snakes, iguanas, frogs, and tarantulas. Many were apparently in poor health and kept in unsafe conditions. According to animal-welfare officials, the suspect already faces animal-cruelty-related charges. These animals are now receiving care.
The animals were allegedly exploited for petting zoos and pony rides, where living beings may be treated as portable attractions rather than sentient individuals. Reports describe emaciation, parasite infestations, and visibly unwell animals—signs that basic needs were apparently not met. Such alleged neglect inflicts ongoing fear, pain, and deprivation on the most vulnerable creatures, from tiny reptiles to large hoofed animals.
Swift accountability reportedly deterred further suffering, but accountability must not end with seizure. Sign below to demand prosecutors pursue the strongest charges supported by evidence, seek meaningful jail time where warranted, require mental-health evaluation and mandated counseling, demand restitution for veterinary treatment, and secure lifetime bans on owning, breeding, exhibiting, or profiting from animals. Anything less would apparently risk turning this large-scale alleged neglect into a revolving door of suffering.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Prosecutor Savit,
We are writing regarding reports that more than 120 animals—including dogs, cats, horses, ponies, a donkey, goats, sheep, and multiple exotic species—were allegedly kept in unsafe conditions and neglected. These animals were reportedly used for traveling petting zoos and pony rides, raising grave concerns about ongoing exploitation and substandard care.
The scope and severity of the alleged neglect—emaciation, parasite infestations, and visibly unwell animals—suggest a pattern that, if proven, warrants more than a slap on the wrist. We respectfully urge your office to pursue the maximum penalties supported by the evidence, including meaningful incarceration where appropriate, strict probation terms, and a lifetime prohibition on owning, breeding, exhibiting, or profiting from animals.
We also ask that you seek full restitution for veterinary care and rehabilitation costs, along with mandated counseling and monitoring. Strong, visible accountability will reportedly deter similar operations that treat living beings as disposable attractions and will help safeguard animals across the community.
Thank you for prioritizing this matter. The animals rescued in this case deserve justice, and your firm action can help ensure they—and others like them—are never again subjected to such apparent neglect.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: RDNE Stock Project
