Protect Chimpanzees and Speak Up for Public Safety

BACKGROUND | SOURCE PETA

This Wednesday, October 31, the Enterprise Town Advisory Board in Clark County, Nevada, will be considering an application for a permit that would allow notorious animal exhibitor and breeder James “Mike” Casey to keep exotic animals at a private residence in Clark County owned by Stacey Jones, who has submitted the application on Casey’s behalf.

Casey, who has a lengthy history of abusing and neglecting animals and endangering the public, is currently keeping at least three chimpanzees and a capuchin monkey at this residence. It is imperative that we convince the county to deny this permit application and to give these animals another chance.

According to U.S. Department of Agriculture records, Casey has hit a chimpanzee with his fist and thrown hot water on a chimpanzee. In addition, a whistleblower who previously resided with Casey has made a sworn statement that Casey regularly punched the chimpanzees forcefully, threw hot water on them, and struck them with a rod. Based on this evidence, leading experts have advised that these animals are in urgent need of rescue and should be immediately removed from Casey.

Allowing Casey to keep these animals would not only facilitate such abuse and neglect but also put the public at risk. Indeed, just earlier this year, two chimpanzees escaped from a household in the Las Vegas area, one of whom was shot dead by the police. The surviving chimpanzee managed to escape again, just one month later.

Chimpanzees are dangerous and unpredictable animals. According to world-renowned primatologist and chimpanzee expert Dr. Jane Goodall, chimpanzees—who have at least five times the strength of humans as adults—can and will bite, especially when frustrated by an unnatural existence.

Casey himself was attacked by a chimpanzee who bit off a good portion of his nose. One of the chimpanzees currently held by Casey in Clark County previously bit a child, and at least four chimpanzees have escaped from facilities operated by Casey. And in 2009, Travis—a chimpanzee born and bred at Casey’s Missouri compound—attacked and severely mutilated a woman who required more than seven hours of stabilizing surgery by four teams of doctors after reportedly losing her hands, nose, lips, and eyelids in the attack. The bone structure of her face was also damaged, and ultimately she had a full face transplant.

Please speak up right away and let the Enterprise Town Advisory Board know that Casey and Jones should not be allowed to keep exotic animals. You can contact the board through its liaison, Tiffany Hesser, at 702-455-7388 or tlh@clarkcountynv.gov.  

Feel free to use the sample letter below, but remember that saying it in your own words is always more effective. Also, please mention any connection that you may have to Clark County or the Las Vegas area.


WHOM TO CONTACT

tlh@clarkcountynv.gov


SAMPLE LETTER

Dear Board Members,

I strongly urge you to protect both Clark County residents and the chimpanzees who are kept by serial animal abuser James “Mike” Casey and deny the permit application that Stacey Jones submitted on his behalf.

Casey is a notorious animal abuser who regularly beats, punches, and throws hot water on chimpanzees. As much as he disregards animals’ well-being, Casey ignores public safety. In 2009, a chimpanzee he bred and sold mauled and severely disfigured a woman who required a face transplant after reportedly losing her eyes, nose, lips, and hands in the attack.

Please make the right decision for Clark County and the chimpanzees and deny Jones’ and Casey’s permit application.

Sincerely,

i am a chimpanzee,
i am not meant
to be a pet,
i can be quite
dangerous,
have you humans
not gotten that
yet?
and this man
named casey,
is rough and
abuses us so.
if he wants a permit
to keep us,
just say NO!!!!!

Karen Lyons Kalmenson