One of America's most prominent pet stores, Petco, announced Tuesday that it has severed ties with Holmes Chinchilla Ranch and Other Small Animals Inc. amid a federal investigation into the supplier's alleged mistreatment of animals at the supplier's Pennsylvania location, according to Newser.
Petco spokeswoman Lisa Start confirmed the announcement, asserting that the discontinuance of the partnership with Holmes was due to the small animal supplier being unable to meet the company's "animal care standards."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) investigation was initiated after a representative from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) went undercover as an employee in the Holmes facility and discovered that most of the animals were being maltreated, reported USA Today.
Most of the animals were allegedly stuffed in crowded crates, and animals who were sick were killed off in a number of various inhumane ways. Live rats, for example, were stuffed in Ziploc bags, allowing them to asphyxiate. Other sick animals were allegedly piled into a cooler and gassed with carbon dioxide.
Responding to the controversy, Holmes stated that it would be working with the USDA to "satisfactorily resolve any concerns that they have now or arise in the future," according to Fox News.
