The search for information regarding the exotic animal auction 2024 tennesse schedule has taken a grim turn, as severe allegations of animal cruelty and systemic neglect have been leveled against Wilson Horse and Mule Sale Inc., a prominent Tennessee-based dealer, and its affiliate, Six Shooters Investment Group. A disturbing video obtained by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) depicted a zebra with a broken back, audibly crying out and struggling to move, allegedly left without veterinary care or pain management for over three hours. This incident, among many others, has spurred the ASPCA to file a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), demanding the immediate revocation of licenses for these facilities. These serious concerns cast a significant shadow over any potential future operations and the viability of their participation in events like an exotic animal auction in Tennessee for 2024.
Shocking Allegations: ASPCA Exposes Conditions at Tennessee Auction
Wilson Horse and Mule, operating out of Cookeville, Tennessee, is known for auctioning hundreds of animals, ranging from camels to hamsters. These animals are often destined for breeding, petting zoos, or roadside entertainment venues. The USDA is tasked with ensuring such facilities adhere to the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA), which mandates minimum standards of care.
However, according to the ASPCA, USDA inspectors have repeatedly documented egregious and willful violations by Wilson Horse and Mule. These include instances of facility employees kicking and striking animals, as well as denying essential veterinary care to sick and injured creatures. Collectively, Wilson Horse and Mule and the related Six Shooters Investment Group have reportedly amassed over 150 violations of the AWA since 2014.
Injured zebra at Tennessee exotic animal auction highlighting ASPCA cruelty concerns
Despite this extensive history of documented non-compliance, the USDA has, for the most part, refrained from taking significant formal action against either entity, issuing only two warnings. Shockingly, Wilson Horse and Mule was re-licensed by the USDA in April 2023, permitting them to operate for another three years, a decision the ASPCA vehemently contests given the ongoing issues.
Formal Complaint Demands License Revocation for Wilson Horse and Mule
In a detailed letter dated November 17, 2023, addressed to Dr. Mullaney of the USDA, the ASPCA formally requested the prompt revocation of licenses for Wilson Horse and Mule Sale Inc. (License No. 63-B-0180) and Six Shooters Investment Group LLC (License No. 63-B-0182). The ASPCA highlighted that despite overwhelming evidence of chronic, willful, and serious AWA violations over the past decade, Wilson was relicensed.
The letter detailed numerous specific incidents from 2022 alone:
- On March 3, 2022, inspectors discovered the aforementioned zebra with a broken back, left in distress for over three hours without veterinary intervention. On the same day, another zebra presented with a fresh leg wound, and a subsequent wound appeared the next day, unbeknownst to the attending veterinarian.
- On September 8, 2022, the auction failed to provide veterinary care for a sick llama. USDA inspectors later found the llama deceased in an enclosure. A staff member reported the llama had been struggling, forced into the sale ring, and “must have finally died” after being returned to its pen.
- Further violations on March 3, 2022, included a staff member repeatedly hitting a bison with a five-foot stick, a visibly stressed baby camel unable to escape public petting, and goats loose in the auction area.
- On September 8, 2022, an employee was seen kicking a goat. Loose dogs were observed nipping at zebras, and sheep and goats were severely overcrowded.
- Record-keeping was also a major issue in 2022, with the auction consigning and selling animals from unlicensed sources on at least three occasions.
- Sixteen facility upkeep violations were recorded in 2022, including muddy enclosures with accumulated trash that animals were seen ingesting.
Despite an “official warning” for the March 3, 2022 violations, no further significant enforcement action was taken by the USDA for continued issues throughout 2022.
The problems persisted into 2023. A USDA re-license inspection on February 22, 2023, found violations including primate housing surfaces that couldn’t be properly sanitized, damaged enclosures with sharp edges, and a dead bird carcass in an enclosure. A routine inspection on March 2, 2023, during an auction, again documented multiple issues. An auction attendant was observed hitting multiple wildebeest on the head and body with a flagged pole. Animals were kept in enclosures exposed to rain, with severe drainage issues causing them to stand in hoof-deep mud.
Despite these observations, the USDA conducted a second re-license inspection a month later when no animals were present and subsequently issued Wilson a new license. The ASPCA argues this did not demonstrate compliance as required by the AWA. Wilson Horse and Mule reportedly violated the AWA again on September 7, 2023, with an escaped hedgehog and inadequately sized guinea pig enclosures.
Concerns Extend to Affiliated Six Shooters Investment Group
The ASPCA’s complaint also targets Six Shooters Investment Group LLC, based in Sparta, TN, alleging it is owned or operated by the same individual as Wilson Horse and Mule. This connection itself is a concern, as Section 2.1 (b) (1) of the AWA states, “No person shall have more than one license.” The ASPCA cited a November 2022 email between APHIS employees, obtained via a FOIA request (2023-APHIS-03873), acknowledging the shared ownership/operation and referring to them as “sister company[ies]”.
Six Shooters Investment Group has its own troubling history of AWA violations, including:
- August 6-7, 2021: The Attending Veterinarian admitted a lack of experience with exotic species beyond small pets and expressed concern about her ability to continue. She was unable to treat a camel with an abscess. Inspectors also noted a porcupine showing heat stress, a bison with injuries, and an untreated goat with an abnormal jaw growth. During this inspection, the Office Manager reportedly refused to show buyer information for sugar gliders and later denied inspectors access to the facility.
- October 1, 2021: Disrepaired enclosures were observed, with one young bison getting its head trapped under a metal bar for several minutes.
- February 2, 2022: An adult eland with a broken-off horn and a discharging wound infested with insects had not been seen by a veterinarian.
- Multiple inspections documented animals in inappropriate, unsafe housing without proper ventilation.
- Across all three inspections in 2023, inspectors noted the barn’s metal support system needed repair, with no apparent effort made by the facility to address it.
The ASPCA questions why this individual is permitted to operate two licensed facilities, especially given the extensive compliance issues at both.
Systemic Failures? USDA Oversight and the Call for Goldie’s Act
The ASPCA frames these cases as indicative of a larger failure by the USDA to enforce the Animal Welfare Act and protect animals in licensed facilities. The repeated violations, met with minimal repercussions and subsequent re-licensing, paint a grim picture of regulatory oversight.
This situation has led the ASPCA and other animal welfare advocates to urge Congress to pass Goldie’s Act. This proposed legislation aims to reform the USDA’s allegedly broken animal welfare program by requiring more thorough inspections, meaningful penalties for violations, and improved conditions for animals in licensed facilities, including those sold at auctions. The act seeks to ensure that animals like the suffering zebra receive prompt and adequate veterinary care and are not subjected to the conditions documented at Wilson Horse and Mule and Six Shooters.
Conclusion: Uncertainty Looms Over Future Tennessee Exotic Auctions
The extensive and severe allegations documented by the ASPCA against Wilson Horse and Mule Sale Inc. and Six Shooters Investment Group raise profound concerns about animal welfare standards at these Tennessee-based exotic animal facilities. The graphic evidence, including the suffering zebra, coupled with a long history of documented violations, paints a disturbing picture that challenges the USDA’s decision to re-license.
Given the ASPCA’s formal demand for license revocation and the sheer volume of troubling incidents, the future of these specific operations, and by extension their involvement in any exotic animal auction 2024 tennesse schedule, is highly uncertain and ethically questionable. The focus has shifted from mere scheduling to a critical examination of whether such entities should be allowed to operate at all.
For individuals concerned about the welfare of animals in auctions and other licensed facilities, the ASPCA recommends learning more about Goldie’s Act and urging lawmakers to support this potentially life-saving bill, aiming to prevent further suffering and ensure accountability.
