Well Leslie, we watched it happen.
Hollys zebras sold to the highest
bidder as well as some of his monkeys.
Now the exotic animal trade is big
business here in Tennessee and it is
completely legal and we know that Jerry
Lee Hawley has done business here before.
Very different in order to get 50. So
47 in a higher key number is this
is triple W exotic animal auction
at Wilson Horse and Mule sale.
It's located in Middle Tennessee,
while exotic animal sales are
illegal in Maryland and DC and
severely limited in Virginia.
Tennessee is a hot spot
for exotic animal auctions.
People from all over the
country come to places like the
triple W to stock their farms,
petting zoos and roadside attractions.
We called Triple W asking for a tour
of the place and an interview about
how it's run a manager decline.
So like anyone else can do,
we paid for tickets and using
our cell phones out on the open,
captured what happened over
the last six days.
The auction started on Monday with cattle,
some of them more exotic Longhorns on
Tuesday, the auctioneer identified
cattle coming from Jerry Holley,
Florida Ranch,
one of Holly's representatives
sold several of the livestock.
Holly
was cited over 240 times for
wildlife violations over 17 years,
according to Florida Public Records.
He currently faces three Maryland
animal cruelty charges after the
death of one of the zebras from
the legal snare trap and another
zebra died inside an enclosure,
according to a state complaint.
Holly declined to comment to WSA 9.
Some of the zebras are still on
the run in Prince Georges County.
Meanwhile, in Tennessee
on Wednesday afternoon,
zebras began arriving kept in pens.
All the pens weren't heated.
They appeared clean and with enough
room for the animals to move.
Email the next day the Zebras
went on the auction block.
A dozen of them were sold to
belonging to Jerry Hawley.
7100 meter reader.
Exotic animal auctions
are cesspools of cruelty.
Debbie Metzler is associate
director for captive animal law
enforcement for PETA or people for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals,
and this is all because they're treated
like commodities by the clientele
of these exotic animal auctions,
which are roadside zoos,
circuses or traveling acts
and canned hunting ranches.
Our review of the past three years of U S
Agriculture document inspection records.
Triple W repeatedly violated
the law by selling to people
without proper wildlife licenses.
It was also flagged for allowing
large animals to be penned without
cover during rainy weather,
causing animals to sink in the mud.
When asked about repeated
citations at the auction house,
a USDA spokesperson responded there
is no set number of non compliances
that will start an investigation.
But records do show.
The agency routinely inspects
triple W multiple times a year.
Animals are adaptable,
but it's important that
their needs are being met.
For what the species requires,
and oftentimes roadside zoos and
breeders and other facilities are
operating on shoestring budgets,
they're not interested in providing
for welfare needs because they're
interested in lining their pockets.
We don't know the zebras are going
including the two that Jerry Halleys
representatives sold on Thursday.
Bidders are identified only by number,
according to the auction ear zebras are sold
in pairs because they typically have a mate,
whether it be a mother and a child or
adult zebra and a friendly donkey.
Despite the auctioneers advice,
bidders are under no obligation
to keep pairs together.
We witnessed multiple times.
Zebra pairs were separated,
including Holly Zebras,
causing the auctioneer to warm.
That could result in separated zebras.
Physically harming themselves
and even dying in transport.
Zebras face unknown future,
often away from the eyes of
accredited wildlife experts and
into the hands of business.
People wanting a profitable return
on their sizable investment because
of different laws around the country,
it's difficult to track if
zebras are being protected
now. Today we can tell you that the
auction ended with exotic animals,
including monkeys, Wallabies and Kangaroos.
Now management told us to leave the
auction before we can reach out to
Holly's representative for comment. So
what kind of money are we talking about?
I understand Holly Zebras went
for between 5:00 and $7000.
That's right, and alpacas and also
llamas were big business here.
We saw several dozen of them
auctioned off one day, many of them
going for several thousand apiece.
And as far as the business goes,
the auction house takes
about a 10% Commission.
The most expensive animal we saw,
auction off here,
was a camel for $9100. Leslie,
alright, Nathan, thank you so much,
and you can find much more of our
extensive reporting on these zebras.
And their owner right now on W
usa9.com just text the word zebra to
202-895-5599 and will text you back
with direct links to our coverage.