Complaint Demands Endangered Species Act be Enforced Against Washington Sham Animal Sanctuary to Protect Animals

Contact: media@aldf.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Animal Legal Defense Fund submitted a complaint to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) urging the agency to investigate an animal facility, Predators of the Heart, sometimes known as Because We Matter Exotic Animal Rescue, that was stripped of its permit to remain open to the public after multiple violations of the law. The complaint also seeks action by the FWS to enforce the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to prevent additional deaths of endangered gray wolves at the facility in Anacortes, a town in northwest Washington.  

Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Complaint Letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

RE: Request for Investigation and Enforcement Action to Address Past, Ongoing, and Potential Future Violations of the Endangered Species Act by Predators of the Heart

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The facility is no longer offering public visits and direct animal interactions due to repeated violations of the Anacortes City Code. The violations included several wolf escapes that led to the deaths of neighborhood family companion animals, culminating in Skagit County, Washington, not granting the facility a new permit to operate — an action the Animal Legal Defense Fund submitted comments in support of in August 2023. During that public process, the owner of Predators of the Heart admitted to killing approximately nine endangered gray wolves — without federal or state authorization — as part of a “business decision.” She has now threatened to kill the remaining endangered wolves held at the facility due to lack of funding and said she “may be forced to euthanize up to 80 percent” of the animals at her facility if a Special Use Permit is not granted by Skagit County. The endangered gray wolves have been repeatedly kept in inappropriate enclosures and have seemingly exhibited abnormal behavior, which is likely the result of unacceptable conditions of confinement. 

“Despite repeated violations forcing Predators of the Heart to close its doors to the public, endangered animals who are protected under the law have still not been removed from the facility and continue to be at risk,” says Animal Legal Defense Fund Staff Attorney, Cristina Kladis. “The Animal Legal Defense Fund continues to advocate for the enforcement of the Endangered Species Act by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prevent the needless deaths of threatened species.” 

The ESA protects endangered animals, including gray wolves located in western Washington, from being harmed, harassed, shot, wounded, killed, or otherwise “taken.” These protections extend to gray wolves who are kept in captivity, including the gray wolves at Predators of the Heart. As of October 18, 2023, Predators of the Heart housed 15 gray wolves at its facility. Although Predators of the Heart has at various points categorized its resident wolves as “wolves,” “wolfdogs,” and “wolf/dog hybrids,” expert genetic testing of wolves bred and born at the facility reveals they are endangered gray wolves and therefore subject to the protections of the ESA. 

The FWS has issued regulations defining the terms within the scope of an ESA “take.” For example, the agency defines “harm” as “an act which actually kills or injures wildlife.” The agency also defines “harass,” which means “an intentional or negligent act or omission which creates the likelihood of injury to wildlife by annoying it to such an extent as to significantly disrupt normal behavioral patterns, which include, but are not limited to, breeding, feeding or sheltering.” The complaint argues that the actions of Predators of the Heart fit squarely within the agency’s definition of an illegal “take” under the ESA.