OKFUSKEE COUNTY, Okla. — More than three months after inspections from U.S. Department of Agriculture reported inhumane conditions and possible crimes at a commercial parakeet breeder in Okfuskee County, law enforcement is yet to act or even acknowledge the report.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) first contacted 2 News Oklahoma in June asking for local news coverage of what it claimed was an undercover investigation revealing deplorable conditions at Creekside Birds, LLC in the town of Paden. The business is said to be a contractor for major pet retailers like PetSmart, Petland, and Petco.
WATCH: No response from Okfuskee County despite USDA report on inhumane conditions
"1,400 birds were found dead in just 27 days," the PETA release said at the time.
PETA Investigate's Dan Paden (no relation to the town) told 2 News the group's undercover member was employed at the facility for a few months and reported what they observed to USDA, which then conducted inspection reports May 5 on Creekside Birds and its owner, Pedro Kauenhofen, who could not be reached for comment for this story.
The inspection reports included the breeding site kept "approximately 10,000 animals present at the facility. The licensee is currently licensed for a maximum of 8100 animals," that it "did not use appropriate methods to treat diseases and injuries," and did not track the number of parakeets that died or were euthanized.
PETA's photos and videos suggested piles of dead and decaying birds in cages or on floors.
One of the USDA reports said inspectors observed unsanitary conditions "in and around budgie cages and on water lines, characterized by heavy accumulation of droppings, feather dust, seed hulls, and old food. Perches and bars are covered in caked-on waste, and cage floors contain feces-covered broken and intact eggs along with significant piles of dried and fresh feces."
A USDA public affairs representative responded to an email from 2 News in July stating it "shares inspection reports that document serious noncompliance with its state partners" and makes the reports available on its website.
“We submitted all the evidence in person (and) gave a sworn statement to the (Okfuskee County) sheriff," Paden said via Zoom on Aug. 13. "Now, almost three months have passed, and despite 17 follow-ups with that agency and the district attorney's office, there's no sign of investigation being undertaken."
Two calls to the county sheriff's office resulted in a deputy taking a message from 2 News asking for information about the Creekside Birds inspection reports.
On a third call Aug. 12, Undersheriff Justin Snelson told 2 News the sheriff's office could offer no comment nor could it confirm knowledge of any USDA report of the parakeet breeding facility.
2 News then submitted a direct email to Sheriff Amber Gaskins, who was named to the position earlier this summer after controversy surrounding handling of the county jail, but as of Aug. 13 the email has gone unanswered.
- Previous coverage>>> Okfuskee County commissioners accept Manshack's resignation, names acting sheriff
When 2 News walked into the Okfuskee County Sheriff's Office building on Aug. 13, a jailer said both the sheriff and undersheriff had already gone home for the day.
- EXTENDED INTERVIEW>>> PETA Investigates Dan Paden answers 2 News on Okfuskee County USDA reports
PETA Investigates Dan Paden answers 2 News on Okfuskee County USDA reports
"In 24 years of doing this work, with a terrific amount of success...we have never run into a law enforcement jurisdiction as unwilling to communicate, as unwilling to answer simple questions, as unwilling to so much as do their job and enforce the law as we are seeing right now in Okfuskee County," Paden said. "And to shut out not only the reporting party (and) the witness, but the news media and the public who are interested in learning more about what that agency is doing, if anything...is chilling. It's disturbing."
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