Ohio Breeder Surrenders 1,100-Plus Chinchillas in AWA Consent Decree

More than 1,100 chinchillas have changed hands after a federal consent decree forced an Ohio breeder to surrender his entire stock, following a US Department of Justice case that uncovered roughly 800 animals concealed from USDA inspectors in a second building for years. The DOJ announced the outcome on November 3.

The US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio endorsed the decree on November 2 between the federal government and R & R Chinchilla Inc., a Hancock County breeder operating in Jenera, Ohio, for more than 40 years. The decree requires the owner, James F. Ritterspach, to surrender the more than 300 chinchillas remaining at the facility and permanently cease any activity regulated under the Animal Welfare Act.

What did inspectors find?

The case began with a USDA referral warning that animals faced serious danger. DOJ filed a complaint in August against R & R Chinchilla and Ritterspach, alleging repeated failures to meet AWA standards of humane care, handling, and treatment for about 1,100 chinchillas.

USDA inspectors had conducted 18 inspections since September 2022 and identified violations in nearly every one — 59 violations within the past 4 years. In one instance, DOJ said, inspectors watched Ritterspach "ripping a four-by-six-inch mat of hair off a chinchilla while holding the animal by the tail."

Ritterspach told inspectors the facility held between 300 and 450 animals, according to the complaint. He allegedly concealed about 800 more in a separate building to avoid inspection. When inspectors entered that building on August 5, they found hundreds of animals in conditions one described as worse than any facility they had ever inspected, along with multiple dead animals.

The cited violations read like a triage list:

• Eyes swollen and oozing discharge so severely that animals could not open them
• Fecal material covering entire floors of hundreds of enclosures
• Ammonia levels that forced coughing inspectors to leave the building
• Open packets of rat poison placed next to chinchilla enclosures
• A metal collar embedded tightly in one animal's neck

"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," said Bernadette Juarez, deputy administrator of the Animal Care program at USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. "The conditions identified at this facility reflected a prolonged failure to provide basic animal care."

What did the rescue and veterinary exams reveal?

DOJ asked Humane World for Animals, formerly the Humane Society of the United States, to conduct the rescue. Teams 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 and removed the final 309 — 951 chinchillas in total, moved to an undisclosed location for care.

In-depth veterinary examinations found severely matted fur, inflamed skin, overgrown teeth, scabs, sores, and urine scalding. A number of animals were missing limbs, toes, or ears.

"It was like walking through a factory of forgotten souls," said Laura Koivula, director of animal crimes and investigations at Humane World for Animals. She added that the chinchillas have since begun showing natural behaviors in the organization's care, including taking their first dust baths. The organization is now working with shelter and rescue partners to place the animals.

What is the enforcement outcome?

Before referring the case to DOJ, USDA issued an official warning in 2024 and took multiple enforcement actions, including 2 summary suspensions. DOJ's Energy and Natural Resources Division and the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio secured a temporary restraining order on August 21, one day after filing; a modified order then required the parties to work toward surrendering approximately 800 animals.

Under the consent decree, Ritterspach also entered a separate agreement with USDA that permanently revokes his AWA license. "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.

Adam Gustafson, principal deputy assistant attorney general of ENRD, framed the obligation plainly: "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."

US Attorney David M. Toepfer of the Northern District of Ohio credited USDA investigators for the surrender. Placement of the 951 rescued chinchillas through Humane World's shelter and rescue partners now proceeds as the consent decree closes the book on a four-decade breeding operation.