January 9, 2017
Marcia Mayeda
Director of Animal Care
County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control
Via UPS and e-mail
Dear Ms. Mayeda:
I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing on behalf of PETA to request that the County
of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) include an examination
of the following apparent violations of the county's law during the investigation that you
recently informed my colleague Lisa Lange that DACC will undertake of Birds & Animals
Unlimited (BAU). These were documented by an eyewitness who worked at BAU between
August and November 2016:

BAU allowed animals to suffer without licensed veterinary evaluation or care, in
apparent violation of Ord. 2011-0011 § 10.40.010(C) and (H), requiring that "[a]nimals
must be groomed and kept in a manner that is not injurious to their health" and "[n]o
condition may be maintained or permitted that is or could be injurious to the animals."
o A 12-year-old emaciated pig named Miss Piggy suffered for months without
licensed veterinary care for what a facility manager claimed was melanoma. (See
Photos 1 and 2 and Video 1.) Dr. [named redacted], a veterinarian with direct
experience treating pigs, reviewed video footage of Miss Piggy and opined that,
"based upon my experience and knowledge of melanoma in pigs, it is a very rare
condition and especially uncommon in pink skinned pigs and in 'mini' or pot-bellied
pigs. While a diagnosis of melanoma or other skin cancer is certainly possible, it
does not explain her poor body condition. I would need to see evidence that this pig
is under a veterinarian's care, has a proper diagnosis, know what she is being fed
and why she is so thin in order to not remove her from the property for more in
depth evaluation and care. Miss Piggy is dangerously thin which could be because
of a neoplasm, a lack of proper nutrition or because of a dental problem. This pig is
in dire need of immediate veterinary attention and a proper diagnosis in my
professional opinion."
o Pigs named Punky and Frankie had dry, flaky skin and elongated hooves. Punky's
hooves were so long that one had curved on top of another, and it appeared to affect
her gait. Her hooves were trimmed a week after she had been seen limping but
grew long again just weeks later. A manager acknowledged that they should be
trimmed, but at the time when the eyewitness left the facility over three weeks later,
Punky's hooves had still not been trimmed to an appropriate length. (See Photos 3–
5 and Video 2.)
o BAU did not provide a dove who was unable to walk with veterinary care, and the
animal died nine days after the condition was reported to a manager. (See Video 3.)
o On or before October 4, BAU's retained veterinarian had reportedly quit. When the
eyewitness asked the manager if a veterinarian was on-call for animal emergencies,
the manager responded "no." For the rest of October, the eyewitness was not aware
that a licensed veterinarian had been retained by BAU.



Dogs and cats were routinely denied food prior to training sessions and, in some cases, appeared thin or
underweight for film or television productions. According to a trainer, this was because "we want them
to be hungry, they're working for food." The following are examples of apparent violations of Ord. 20110011 § 10.40.010(B), which requires that "[a]ll animals must be supplied with sufficient food and water
suitable for the age, species, and nutritional requirements of the animal."
o Two cats, named Gus Gus and Nibbs, were deprived of food so that they would lose weight for
appearances in a movie. The cats were denied food entirely for two days and then permitted only to
have a small amount of food in the following days. Both cats lost 5 percent of their bodyweight in
just five days.
o Workers were instructed to place a dog named Kai on a restricted diet and reduced his food amount
by 1 cup daily. In addition to the reduced amount, Kai's normal food was swapped out for a "lite" dog
food two weeks after the diet began. The trainer reportedly wanted Kai to lose 20 pounds for a movie
role.
o In addition to the cats and dog mentioned above, on 11 separate days, workers were instructed not to
feed certain dogs, cats, and goats prior to training sessions.
Dogs were confined outdoors without bedding, even though overnight temperatures dropped below 50
degrees on 10 days. (See Exhibit 1 and Video 4.) According to Ord. 2011-0011 § 10.40.010(O), "[p]roper
shelter and protection from the weather must be provided at all times," and Sec. 53.70(A)(5) requires that
dogs "[h]ave sufficient clean bedding material or other means of protection from weather when the
weather is colder than what a dog of that breed and condition will comfortably tolerate and that will
allow the dog to retain body heat. Bedding material shall be kept clean and dry."
The eyewitness documented that enclosures confining an eagle, a falcon, a hawk, a male owl, and a
female owl had an accumulation of feces and feathers. To the eyewitness's knowledge, these spaces went
at least six weeks without full cleaning. The facility manager said that she has to ask trainers to enter the
enclosures with these birds in order to do a full cleaning and did not say how often that occurs. BAU also
housed a pair of vultures and a pair of pied crows in enclosures that were scheduled to be cleaned just
once a week. The eyewitness documented that these enclosures had feces caked on the floor and perches.
In accordance with Ord. 2011-0011 § 10.40.010(K), "[a] building or enclosure for animals must be kept
in a sanitary condition[]."
According to Sec. 53.15.2(d)(2), "[t]he Department may revoke any permit issued pursuant to this section
upon a finding that the permit holder has violated its terms and conditions." BAU appears to have violated
ordinances and regulations protecting animal welfare, including permit requirements. Based on these
apparent violations, we respectfully suggest that DACC initiate proceedings to revoke BAU's license.
Please ensure that BAU is providing all animals with adequate veterinary care, shelter, food, and water and
otherwise handling them in accordance with Ord. 2011-0011 § 10.40.010. Please also hold the company fully
accountable for any and all violations that you discover during your investigation. Thank you for your
attention to this important matter. I look forward to hearing from you.
Very truly yours,
Deborah Metzler, M.S.
Wildlife Specialist, Captive Animal Law Enforcement