The Truth About The Catskill Game Farm

When I read "Catskill Game Farm to Close" by Marco Leavitt (The Business Review, 08/04/06), I knew I had to write about it, but I also knew I needed to do some research. I was so appalled by what I read that I didn’t want to react yet.

But now that my research is done, I can say, "All I need to do is post the comments made by the owner and let her speak for herself."

Here’s the backstory:

• Catskill Game Farm has been in business for 70 years and will close on October 9.
• Kathie Schulz, 65, bought the family business in 1989.
• It occupies 1,000 acres, has over 2,000 animals, and employees 80 people (30 year round).
• "Lower turnout" due to "changing tastes" as well as weather ("extreme heat" and "increasing amounts of rain") were the reasons Schulz gave for closing.
• "An animal auction will be held on Oct. 17, to be conducted by Norton Auctioneers of Michigan, and an equipment auction will be held the next day," reports Leavitt.
• There are no plans to sell the property, and here’s why:

"My father put his life into this. He carved it out of the side of a mountain," said Schulz, adding that she would only sell to a buyer who would take care of the property in a manner she would like.

The animals will be auctioned and either abused further or slaughtered, and that’s fine with Ms. Schulz. But the land, now that needs a special buyer who will take care of it.

Now, about that research (Download CatskillFactsheet.pdf)
. . .

• The Catskill Game Farm has long failed to meet the minimal standards of care of animals as set forth in the federal Animal Welfare Act.
• The USDA has cited it for failure to provide veterinary care, for failure to maintain and clean enclosures, for unsanitary food storage, and for not separating incompatible animals, among other things.
• The Catskill Game Farm has sold animals for canned hunts.

Is it any wonder that Ms. Schulz doesn’t care about what happens to the animals when the facility closes, when she didn’t care what happened to them when it was open?

As Jen O’Connor, PETA’s Animals in Entertainment Campaign Writer wrote to me this morning:

As long as people continue to spend money visiting places like the game farm, animals will continue to be kept in cruel and deprived conditions. They will be bought, sold, traded and replaced, and the cruel cycle will continue.

The ball is in your court.