Although Petter (owner of Fur-Ever Wild) has always maintained she does not KILL any of her wolves for their fur, she says she'll wait til the wolf dies and then she'll skin it, I've learned a number of things in the past few months that contradict that, most of which is now public knowledge and if you aren't already aware, the links to various articles are shared at the end of this post. The most important thing that has come to light isn't only the rumor Petter is slaughtering endangered wolves but the deposition that exposed the truth about this fur farm has been made public. Here is a link to the full deposition.
Read full deposition here > TERRI PETTER DEPOSITION
Q: Is the attorney asking the question
A: Is Petter's response
The deposition is long but if you want to see the evidence Petter is slaughtering animal for their fur or just educate yourself on how fur farmer's work, this is something you should read. Once you finish reading the deposition then you can continue reading this blog post…
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So… with that all public now, I want to address this...Terri Petter, owner of Fur-Ever Wild, didn't just open her farm to the general public to see her animals, she apparently opened her doors to a whole host of groups and organizations. Here are few of the places that visited Fur-Ever Wild.
Dodge Nature Center Catalog 2015
Calling Fur-Ever Wild an education outreach program
New Prague Community Ed Catalog
Calling Fur-Ever Wild a Wildlife Refuge
In two different places
Most often you'll see Fur-Ever Wild ads listed under "educational programs" or they'll be called an "outdoor education center" like in THIS advertisement in SunWeek, which I am assuming was submitted by someone from Fur-Ever Wild.
I can't say what type of education on wildlife they provide since when I was there last spring they taught me absolutely nothing about the animals. Our guide was a 14 yr old girl and she could barely answer basic questions about the wolves. I even talked to Petter a short time and I didn't learn anything from her about the place except that she gets road kill from the DNR and the other food she feeds her animals comes from Sam's Club and Walmart.
So… what do we know now. We know Fur-Ever Wild advertises itself as:
1 - education outreach program
2 - wildlife refuge
3 - education center
and we know the Petter testified to killing her animals for their fur.
What we've NEVER seen is Fur-Ever Wild advertised as a FUR FARM nor have we ever read or heard Petter explain what she stated in the deposition. Now wouldn't that be the most basic thing she could do if she wanted to assure customers and other concerned individuals that she is NOT killing wolves? As far as I am aware she's refused to respond to media inquiries on this issue but she'll state on the Fur-Ever Wild Facebook business page that she has every intention of addressing this "rumor." What's telling for me is she is more focussed on the picture being used in this article: Tis the Season for Slaughtering Gray Wolves then she is with answering concerned customer questions.
I know the picture used in the City Pages article Tis the Season for Slaughtering Gray Wolves isn't from Fur-Ever Wild because if it were, it would be captioned that way. What the picture represents is what happens to wolves slaughtered on Fur-Farms for their fur so the picture fits with the point of the article, which is likely why it was used, and nothing about it is misleading. Wolves slaughtered for their fur end up being trophy's, rugs, clothing, etc… you name it.
Fur Ever Wild Facebook Page
Original Post
One thing people like to say in defense of Fur-Ever Wild and the owner is that the place takes great care of its animals. The animal's parts are used when they die of natural causes such as old age.
Here is one such post:
So let's address just two things in that post.
#1 "They have a couple wolves that are at the ripe old age. Ask yourself what happens on a farm when an animals dies??"
Yes, this is absolutely true, if an animal dies of natural causes it would make sense to most people that their parts be used and not wasted, if possible, but is that what Petter is doing? Ask yourself, how do so many farm animals die of natural causes in such a short time? Even if they are so old that you euthanize them out of compassion, do you really euthanize 25 in two - three weeks?
Here is a snippet from the City Pages article (linked to above and at the bottom of this post) and if you read the deposition you'll see the same thing.
That's A LOT of wolves dying of old age or natural causes. If that many animals dropped dead on any other farm the USDA would be out to investigate.
#2 "Their animals are well taken care of and loved. They truly care about their animals and what they are doing."
Well, my personal idea of what "well" taken care of means would be a healthy animal; the animal is receiving a balanced diet according to its species needs and receives adequate healthcare. My post HERE looks at the condition of one of Petter's wolves, the one that ended up at the Intl. Wolf Center.
After reading on Petter's FB business page that Luna was one of her wolves I contacted the Intl. Wolf Center to confirm that information and this is the response they gave me:
Here is a snippet from Luna's page on the Intl. Wolf Center website to explain what issues they saw in Luna once they received her.
We acquired Luna as a 20 day old pup, and shortly after her arrival, we noticed that she had some mobility issues. After she suffered an injury from what should have been a non-event for a healthy pup, we discovered that she had a bone density issue that may be related to a vitamin D deficiency. She had surgery to repair her injury at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Hospital and started nutritional supplements specially designed for her needs.
I've been told who the broker is for Petter's wolves, the facility that sold Luna to the Intl. Wolf Center and the one they now refuse to work with, but since I've not been able to confirm that information with the broker I won't post it here. All I know, is that the Intl. Wolf Center was not buying wolves from Terri Petter directly and in my opinion the tone of the email by Lori Schmidt comes across as if they have no interest in buying wolves from her either. Why? She's a USDA licensed facility also. Hmmm…
There you have it. None of the information posted above are lies, it all either comes from Petter's Fur-Ever Wild Facebook business page, court documents, or other sources like the Intl. Wolf Center. The public has been seriously misled when it came to Fur-Ever Wild. I think it is even doubtful that places like Dodge Nature Center or the YMCA were even fully aware of what Fur-Ever Wild truly is. A FUR FARM! Maybe they were aware, I'm not sure but I intend to find out since I've spent lots of money at Dodge Nature Center.
I don't understand why the TRUTH IN ADVERTISING law does not apply in this case. Wildlife refuge, education center… that's deceptive advertising. People have gone to Fur-Ever Wild with a false impression. They were spending money to see animals they couldn't see elsewhere, animals they assume are being well cared for and loved because that is what they are told. Is that assumption the fault of the patron? Only if they had no reason to come to that conclusion. When a place is advertised as a "wildlife refuge" or an "education center" you don't think slaughtered and skinned. How would you feel if you found out the Minnesota Zoo was slaughtering and skinning their animals for a profit? You wouldn't take it lightly just as no one should take the Fur-Ever Wild situation lightly. The money spent for entrance to the fur-farm is used to care for animals that ultimately end up on a slab being skinned for products like THIS!
So, there isn't much more that can be said about this, it really comes down to believing facts over denial and sitting back to watch how THIS lawsuit plays out (Animal Legal Defense Fund Files 60-Day Notice of Intent to Sue Fur-Ever Wild).
For more information related to the Fur-Ever Wild Fur farm see the following:
ALDF Alleges Fur Ever Wild's Teresa Petter is Killing and Skinning Her Wolves
Animal Legal Defense Fund Files 60-Day Notice of Intent to Sue Fur Ever Wild
Tis the Season for Slaughtering Gray Wolves
Lakeville Fur Farm Sparks Controversy with S.D. Expansion
Fur Ever Wild 'Agriculture Farm" Stinks, Eureka Neighbors Say
Fur Ever Wild Fur Farm Battles Neighbors Over Howling Wolves, Stinky Pigs, and Security
Opponents Cry Wolf Over New Business, Allege Mistreatment of Animals
Petting Zoo Accused of Slaughtering Endangered Gray Wolves for Fur
Nuisance Suit Over Dakota County Fur Farm
Opposition Rises to Deadwood Wolf Petting Zoo
USDA Called to Investigate Minnesota Wolf Fur Farm on Eve of South Dakota Hearing
Wolf Pup Exhibitor Endangers Animal and Human Health
Opponents Over Proposed Deadwood Petting Zoo Claim it is a Front for Fur Farm
Minnesota Wolf Fur Farm Opening New Location in Deadwood, South Dakota
There are many more but I've shared enough...
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