Ohio breeder surrenders more than 1,100 chinchillas after federal Animal Welfare Act case

An Ohio breeder has agreed to surrender more than 1,100 chinchillas after federal inspectors found hundreds in a building that, according to federal officials, had been withheld from inspection for years. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the outcome on November 3.¹

On November 2, the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio endorsed a consent decree between the federal government and the owner of R & R Chinchilla Inc. Under the decree, the owner must surrender the more than 300 chinchillas remaining at the company's breeding facility in Jenera, Ohio. The decree follows the company's earlier voluntary surrender of roughly 800 chinchillas to animal welfare organizations under a modified temporary restraining order. According to DOJ, the department secured veterinary access for the animals over the past 3 months.¹

A second building kept from inspectors

DOJ's case stemmed from a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) referral warning that animals were in serious danger. DOJ then filed a complaint in August against R & R Chinchilla and its president, James F. Ritterspach. The complaint alleged failures on multiple occasions to comply with the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and its standards for the humane care, handling, and treatment of about 1,100 chinchillas at the company's Hancock County facility. R & R Chinchilla has bred chinchillas for more than 40 years.¹

According to the complaint, USDA has conducted 18 inspections of the facility since September 2022. Inspectors identified multiple AWA violations in nearly every inspection, with 59 violations occurring within the past 4 years. For example, DOJ said inspectors observed Ritterspach “ripping a four-by-six-inch mat of hair off a chinchilla while holding the animal by the tail.”¹

The complaint also alleged that R & R Chinchilla, through Ritterspach, told USDA inspectors the facility held between 300 and 450 animals. In reality, Ritterspach allegedly concealed about 800 more chinchillas in a separate building for years to avoid inspection.¹

What inspectors found

USDA inspectors gained access to the previously undisclosed building on August 5 and found hundreds of animals in dire conditions. The inspectors described the building as being in worse condition than any facility they had ever inspected. Inspectors also observed multiple dead animals inside the building.¹

Alleged AWA violations cited in the DOJ release include chinchillas with eyes so swollen and oozing with discharge that the animals could not open them; fecal material covering the entire floor of hundreds of enclosures; ammonia levels so high that inspectors coughed to the point of having to leave the building; open packets of rat poison next to chinchilla enclosures; and a metal collar tightly embedded in one animal's neck.¹

Bernadette Juarez, deputy administrator of the Animal Care program at USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), summarized the findings in the release.¹

"Over multiple inspections, APHIS inspectors documented deeply troubling conditions at this facility, including animals with untreated medical conditions, excessive fecal accumulation, and the concealment of approximately 800 additional chinchillas in a second structure that had been withheld from inspection for years," Juarez said. "USDA has a responsibility to ensure that licensed facilities meet the standards required under the Animal Welfare Act, and the conditions identified at this facility reflected a prolonged failure to provide basic animal care."

Veterinary exams after the rescue

DOJ asked Humane World for Animals, formerly called the Humane Society of the United States, to help rescue the chinchillas, according to a separate release from the organization.² Rescuers first entered the facility on October 13 and removed 642 chinchillas over 2 days. On November 3, after federal authorities secured the surrender of the remaining animals, the team returned to remove the final 309. In total, the organization removed 951 chinchillas from the facility.²

The chinchillas were moved to an undisclosed location for care. According to the organization, in-depth veterinary exams found many of the animals were suffering from ailments including severely matted fur, inflamed skin, overgrown teeth, scabs, sores, and urine scalding. A number were missing limbs, toes, or ears.²

Laura Koivula, director of animal crimes and investigations at Humane World for Animals, said conditions inside the facility were far removed from how chinchillas are meant to live.² "It was like walking through a factory of forgotten souls," Koivula said in the release. She added that the chinchillas have begun showing natural behaviors in the organization's care, including taking their first dust baths.²

The organization is working with its shelter and rescue partners to place the chinchillas.²

Enforcement history and license revocation

According to Juarez, USDA issued an official warning in 2024 and took multiple enforcement actions, including 2 summary suspensions, before working with DOJ to advance the case.¹

DOJ's Energy and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction on August 20, which was granted a day later. A subsequent modified order, agreed to by both parties, added to the measures already in place to address some of the facility's alleged chronic issues. The order also required R & R Chinchilla and Ritterspach to work with the federal government to surrender approximately 800 animals.¹

Under the consent decree, Ritterspach agreed to give up the remaining chinchillas and permanently stop any AWA-regulated activity. He also entered a separate consent decree and order with USDA that permanently revokes his AWA license.¹

"We also welcome the revocation of the facility's Animal Welfare Act license, which reflects the seriousness of the violations documented by our inspectors," Juarez said in the release.¹

Adam Gustafson, principal deputy assistant attorney general of ENRD, pointed to the standards licensed operations must meet.¹

"Animal breeders and caretakers that are federally licensed have an obligation to comply with basic standards Congress established to provide clean water, adequate food and housing, and sufficient veterinary care to their animals," Gustafson said.

US Attorney David M. Toepfer of the Northern District of Ohio credited USDA investigators with bringing about the surrender of the animals.¹

"We are thankful for the great work of the USDA investigators which has resulted in the surrender of the animals that were in the breeding facility involved in this matter," Toepfer said.

References

1. Ohio pet breeder agrees to surrender over 1,100 chinchillas. News release. US Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs. November 3, 2026. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/ohio-pet-breeder-agrees-surrender-over-1100-chinchillas
2. 'Factory of forgotten souls': Humane World for Animals rescues nearly 1,000 chinchillas from dire conditions. News release. Humane World for Animals. November 4, 2026. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/factory-of-forgotten-souls-humane-world-for-animals-rescues-nearly-1-000-chinchillas-from-dire-conditions-302929450.html