Mini S Exotic Zoo Neglects and Sells Bats into the Cruel Exotic Pet Trade

In late December of 2019, an issue was brought to the attention of Bat World Sanctuary (BWS) in Texas by Second Chances Wildlife Center (SCWC) in Kentucky. The issue involved SCWC rescuing eight Egyptian fruit bats in Texas. BWS offered guidance and help as the bats were located in Texas.

The report from BWS is as follows:

On January 7th, 2020 we received a call from SCWC, who had just picked up their procured bats from what we then learned was the Mini S Exotic Zoo located in  Mineola, Texas, owned by Michelle Smith. SCWC reported to us that the remaining bats at the zoo desperately needed to be rescued before they entered the pet trade. The exhibit was closing in order to make room for an anteater. The conditions they reported at Mini S Zoo were as follows (photos below):

• 60 bats were being kept in an outbuilding (approximately 10’ x 12’), inside an enclosure that measured approximately 4’ wide by 8’ long by 10’ tall.
• No windows, natural light or fresh air was available in the small building.
• The building smelled heavily of ammonia.
• No water or fresh food was available. One dish, located on the floor, contained rotten apple slices and was contaminated with bat feces and urine. Bat dishes should always be hung from the ceiling within easy reach for bats.
• Wood shavings were on the floor, covered in excrement and urine. Roaches were visible.
• Two bats had injuries. One pitiful female Egyptian fruit bat had only one leg and that leg was severely broken and badly infected.  She was so debilitated that she feebly crawled across the filthy floor, dragging her broken leg.  She did not have the ability to reach the cage ceiling or her roostmates so she was condemned to live on the filthy, roach infested floor.
• SCWC asked if they could have the one-legged bat to get her medical attention. Michelle Smith denied their request and would only release the suffering bat if SCWC paid for the bat. SCWC bought the bat so she could receive the help she desperately needed.
• Aside from a few sharp twigs hanging in the cage, no enrichment was available.

SCWC took  8 bats, which left a total of 52 still needing help. This number included 10 Egyptian fruit bats and 42 Seba bats. We immediately called the zoo owner, Michelle Smith, to make arrangements to procure the remaining 52 bats. Although we never approve of purchasing bats, in order to get these bats out of their horrendous situation as quickly as possible and keep them out of the pet trade, we were forced to buy them. Michelle Smith described that the Seba bats were rare and possessed a black‐and‐white gene that could make us a “lot of money”.  Michelle Smith went on to say that all of the other black and white Seba bats she had died during a “temperature crisis”, which means the bats were not provided heat or air conditioning as necessary to protect them.  Michelle Smith also bragged that BWS is the only group who got adults, the others sold were all babies. All 52 bats were rescued on Thursday, Jan. 9th, 2020. The conditions at Mini S Zoo were as follows:

• The bat exhibit had the same issues as outlined above.
• The bats had already been crated when we arrived. We were told that the bats had been in the crates since Wednesday, in excess of 24 hours.
• Food was available in the crates but it appeared to have just been placed there as nothing was eaten.
• We immediately transferred the bats to our own appropriate transport carriers and gave them our own fresh food and water. The bats immediately started to devour the fresh fruit.
• One of the seba bats had an injured nose-leaf that was almost torn off. She is currently receiving treatment at BWS for her injury
• Another seba bat had her head stuck in the wire and her head was almost scalped. She is also receiving treatment at BWS for her injury.
• Some of the bats had babies and others were heavily pregnant. One anguished and apparently exhausted mother seba bat appeared to be using all of her strength to support herself and her baby on the side of an inappropriate wire cage.
• Four to five sloths were also housed in the building. They were in small, individual cages with no enrichment, food or water. One of the sloths was pacing.

While we were in the middle of our rescue, Michelle Smith informed us that she had sold a young female bat from the group of Egyptians to a man in Missouri. Our hearts sank at this knowledge. Egyptian fruit bats form very strong family units for life. Offspring stay with their mothers for up to two years. We pressed Michelle, on a daily basis, in order to obtain the buyers contact information and we finally received it almost a week later. We then made arrangements to also get this one lone pup from MO to TX and thankfully, she is now with us and back with her family. At Mini S Exotic Zoo, no consideration was ever given to these bats other than what profit can be made off of them. The animals we observed were confined to a dark, windowless outbuilding with no fresh air, food or water and nothing whatsoever to occupy their intelligent minds. But more is to fault besides animal dealers like Michelle Smith. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)  is sorely lacking in minimum standards for bats in particular, enabling places like the Mini S Exotic Zoo to get away with the mistreatment of bats. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is also to blame in that some of these zoos, even the accredited ones, allow bats to over-breed and then leak the excess into the pet trade as well as research.

Please join us in sending a message to both the USDA and the AZA that leaking bats into research and the pet trade must stop!

PLEASE ALSO SIGN THE PETITION!

Photo Evidence

[caption id="attachment_12969" align="alignleft" width="1200"] The 4’ wide x 8’ long by 10’ high bat enclosure that housed 60 bats who were severely overcrowded and unable to fly. Sharp twigs were the only cage furniture.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_12970" align="alignleft" width="1204"] The filthy floor of the bat enclosure showing a dish containing rotten apple slices, contaminated with feces and urine[/caption] [caption id="attachment_12971" align="alignleft" width="1549"] Left" An Egyptian fruit bat with one leg, which is broken and badly infected. The injury is being treated by SCWC in Kentucky. Right:A radiograph showing the severity of the break.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_12972" align="alignleft" width="1626"] Left: The seba with her head trapped between the cage wire. Apparently she spent the entire night like this. Left: The injury caused to the bat with her head trapped. The skin on her scalp between her ears was peeled back and barely attached to her head but we were able to repair that section. The remaining injury to the back of her neck is currently being treated.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_12973" align="alignleft" width="1167"] Left: A text from Mini S Exotic Zoo about the supposed worth of the seba bats. Right: An ad posted by Mini S Exotic Zoo on Facebook[/caption]

We are so appreciative that we were in a position to get these suffering, abused bats to safety and out of harm’s way.  The males have been neutered and the mothers are being allowed to raise their babies and keep them for life. Many of the bats are still very frightened so our focus is making sure these beautiful beings understand they will not be going anywhere else; they truly are safe in their forever home with dozens of others just like them. They will be able to fly freely in indoor-outdoor enclosures and eat all of the nourishing food their little bellies can hold.  We have been offered two matching grants totaling $15,000 if we can raise that same amount. Please help us help these bats, and all the others still waiting to be rescued by donating here:

Flying Fox Conservation Fund - is this really conservation?

Scott Heinrichs calls his organization the "Flying Fox Conservation Fund" (FFCF) but is it really conservation? Would a true bat conservationist keep bats in his basement, breed them, pull youngsters off of their mothers and sell them as pets?

Unfortunately, this appears to be the real story behind the Flying Fox Conservation Fund. And what Scot Heinrichs likely doesn't tell you is that bats bond for life, families stay together for life in the wild (imagine having your 6 year old ripped from your arms and sold to a stranger, never to be seen again). That is the equivalent of what happens when bat pups are pulled off of their mothers and sold for an average of $800 to $2,500 each. Plus, the buyer is likely not told that the "pet bat" they just bought WILL IN ALL LIKELIHOOD BE DEAD WITHIN A YEAR.

One of the unfortunate babies that FFCF ripped away
from its mother to be sold as a pet. Click to enlarge

When you look at the FFCF Google page you see that it's located in Chicago in a home, a "two-flat" home, not a spacious facility where bats are allowed freedom to fly and enjoy quality of life. Is this what you would expect from an organization that calls itself a conservation fund? Not only that, according to their very own website, they share this "two-flat" space with all of these animals: "Sloth, Fennec Fox, Armadillo, Kinkajou, Civet, Fruit Bat, Chinchilla, Ferret, Bearded Dragon, Crested Gecko, Boa Constrictor, Tree Frog, Pancake Tortoise, Tarantula, Hissing Roaches, Walking Sticks, Solomon Island Parrot, Lion Head Rabbit"

Lastly, this photo speaks volumes. This poor, heavily pregnant fruit bat is being held up by her delicate wings by Scott Heinrichs. If this doesn't scream total disrespect for an animal the FFCF touts to "conserve" then what does?

Scott Heinrichs holds a pregnant bat up by her delicate wings

Also see:

Pet Bat Information
Rescue Echo (Lisa's Creatures)
PetBat.netTop Ten Worst Pets

Noah's Landing Zoo Breeds Bats for the Cruel Exotic Pet Trade

Here are a few comments directly from Noah's Landing Zoo's web page

"... offer enrichment, safety, and comfort to our animals. ...Demonstrate the importance of preservation and conservation ...and respect for the world around us."
So why then, is the Noah's Landing Zoo selling baby fruit bats into the cruel, exotic pet trade, knowing that these animal are doomed to a miserable existence and certain death? Could it be that the almighty dollar was more important than the lives of these innocent animals?

This is one of the ads the Noah's Landing Zoo has placed on the internet. What happened to "... offer enrichment, safety, and comfort to our animals. ...Demonstrate the importance of preservation and conservation ...and respect for the world around us." ???

Noahs Landing Zoo sells baby bats into the cruel exotic pet trade

Of course, Noah's Landing Zoo's ad not contain the fact that the high price paid for these bats was wasted when the bats died, likely within the very first year.

Shame on you, Noah's Landing Zoo. These animals deserved better.


Also see:
Pet Bat Information
Rescue Echo (Lisa's Creatures)
PetBat.net
Top Ten Worst Pets

Exotic Animals For Sale - BUYER BEWARE

The site "Exotic Animals for Sale" is ILLEGALLY USING COPYRIGHTED to lure people to purchase a bat from the cruel exotic pet trade. They don't include the likely fact that BATS DON'T SURVIVE WHEN KEPT AS PETS.

Their ad states:
"Bats for sale... Why just look at bats when you can own a bat as a pet"

ExoticAnimalsforSale is using copyrighted photos to lure people to purchase bats as pets

Nowhere in the ad does it tell you that bats typically die within the first year of attempting to keep one as a pet, and the $800 to $2,500 a buyer spent on a "pet bat" is money wasted.

AZA leaks Bats into Research and the Cruel Exotic Pet Trade

Quotes from individuals regarding the disposal of bats by AZA accredited zoos:

1) "When I told the director that baby vampire bats were being washed down the drain when the exhibit was hosed out, he said "consider it a means of population control.'"''

2)  "I talked with Ryan, the pet store owner I know, and he found out the Egyptians are from the Memphis Zoo. He has a friend in Austin that bought several. They are all males."

3)  "These are Leaf-nose Fruit Bats from S. America. I have already got the lecture about what zoos are doing with surplus bats. I am not a zoo, and do not agree with most of the things they do. ... I am hoping to get some information on this before more babies fail to survive. The ones I have dealt with so far have a good to great appetite, but don't survive 24 hours."
  
4) "It is outrageous the way smaller bats are mis-managed, and a welfare issue. The surpluses available are ridiculous eg 200.200 from Central Park Zoo! .....most zoos are simply not able (or willing) to separate the sexes, and even when they do they often sex the animals incorrectly and one male gets a field day!"

5) "I just received a call from the Cincinnati Museum regarding a man in Cincinnati who owns a pet store. Apparently he is gearing up to accept "leaf-nose fruit bats" from a zoo in NC. This zoo is doling them out much like the other zoo ... in FL."

6) "Apparently it has become routine for zoos to indiscriminately supply the pet trade with their surplus fruit bats. This practice seems highly irresponsible and cruel. What can be done to stop this? Why is population control never considered?"

7) "A friend of mine has recently been given about 200 Leaf-nose Fruit Bats that were left over from a zoo that closed. Many of them have babies or have given birth since he acquired them. Many others appear to be pregnant. Some of the babies have been dropping off and he has not been successful in keeping the alive. He gave two to me..."

8) "I am extremely concerned that bats will end up in the pet trade. ... I do not know if this is still happening and if you hear of any please let me know.The Memphis information is disturbing and I will follow up with them. At the very least they should be neutering bats before they send them out..."

9) "I have a group of about 80 Jamaican fruits bats that we have used in testing flight skills. ...the Denver Zoo wanted to give me all 400 they have on site if they could have as their situation is out of control."

Direct quotes made by zookeepers from accredited zoos regarding bats in their care:

1) "I work with a colony of Seba's short-tailed bats (Carollia perspicillata) in captivity and lately we have been noticing a dramatic increase in the number of juvenile deaths. We have been unable to determine the reason why and it is driving us crazy! Necropsies have not been helpful the bats are so small that by the time we manage to get them to the necropsy room they are usually autolyzed. "

2) " ... we experienced overcrowding with our Rousettus colony in the past before we made them a single-sex colony and cut down on the number of specimens significantly their reactions were rejecting their babies and engaging in feeding frenzy behavior where they would devour absolutely everything offered to them in record time."

3) "The injured bats crawl around on the floor sometimes, and are able to fly for very short stints (maybe a couple of seconds, tops); they always return to their little cave, and so really are almost never seen by the public anyway."

4) "When we had more Jamaicans, we used to get questions from the public about them, because they would crawl on the floor sometimes, but since we now have only 9 left, among all the other bats in the flight, they are hardly even noticed."

5) "I find it really funny that you have someone looking for Egyptian fruit bats now, because a year ago when we were trying to change over to a single-sex colony, we had so much trouble finding places for them - no one wanted Egyptian fruit bats!"

6) "...about 10 Jamaican fruit bats (all-male and all ancient, the colony has been there since our building opened in 1995, but we are now trying to phase them out),..."

 PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SIGN A PETITION BEING SENT TO THE AZA