The show features a member of the Rosaire Family, the prominent Sarasota family behind Big Cat Habitat
By Dayana Melendez
Original Air Date: September 20, 2024
Host: Have you been watching HBO’s new docuseries, “Chimp Crazy?” It has a Sarasota connection. Reporter Dayana Melendez spoke with an attorney for a national animal rights organization and a representative of a former circus family that operates a well known large-animal rescue and zoo in Sarasota.
Pam Rosaire
Dayana Melendez: The new HBO docuseries Chimp Crazy has brought renewed attention to some privately run facilities that care for animals in captivity, which critics call roadside zoos. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the identification and rescue of chimpanzees held in private facilities across the U.S., including one it alleges is operated by Pam Rosaire, who is featured in Chimp Crazy. Members of the Rosaire family also operate the popular Big Cat Habitat in Sarasota. The series featured a scene where a funeral was held for a 15-year-old chimpanzee named Chance, whose mysterious death while under the care of Pam Rosaire has sparked concerns. This event has raised questions about other chimpanzees that have similarly gone missing under unclear circumstances.
Brittany Peet, General Counsel for PETA’s Captive Animal Law Enforcement division, explained why the organization is now focusing its efforts on Sarasota.
Brittany Peet: Pam Rosaire, who was featured in Chimp Crazy, has a separate compound also in Sarasota, but it’s a private compound that’s closed to the public, where she keeps chimpanzees and other animals, including lemurs. And so that’s why it was so important for PETA to put out this reward offer—$10,000 for evidence that leads to the confiscation of any chimpanzees held in roadside zoos or private ownership in the U.S.
DM: Peet says PETA has received several tips, but would not provide details, citing ongoing investigations.
BP: I will say that we’ve received a number of phone calls and emails about a few different situations across the country. To protect those ongoing investigations, we’re not going to share anything more publicly. But we’re looking for any information, especially photographic or video evidence, that reflects mistreatment of those animals by their caretakers and leads to confiscation by law enforcement.
DM: The Rosaire family has a long history in animal performance, spanning generations. Kay Rosaire, a prominent figure in the family, runs Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary in Sarasota. The facility has garnered both praise and criticism for its approach to animal care, which includes live shows and interactions with exotic animals. Recently, the USDA issued a warning to Big Cat Habitat following an incident in which a visitor interacted with a six-month-old jaguar, raising concerns about safety and animal welfare.
While Big Cat Habitat is promoted as a sanctuary, PETA and other animal rights groups have expressed concerns, suggesting it operates more like a roadside zoo, where animals are used for public entertainment. Peet, the PETA attorney, said there are huge differences between a facility like Big Cat and accredited facilities like the Center for Great Apes.
BP: I’ve been to both facilities’ multiple times, so I speak from experience. At the Center for Great Apes, there are professionals with extensive education and experience in caring for the species. The Center is not open to the public, except for limited tours a few times a year. The enclosures simulate wild conditions, and the entire focus is on the welfare and care of the animals. At Big Cat Habitat, the priority is making money, and you’re greeted with the opportunity to spend $5 to feed a hot dog to an obese bear.
DM: The discussion also addressed the challenges faced by chimpanzees used in entertainment, many of whom experience difficult conditions once their time in the spotlight ends.
BP: The way that chimpanzees are trained in order to be in the entertainment industry and in fields is through physical punishment and physical abuse. That’s how this training happened. So, it’s really just within this treatment It’s different. When they are in the entertainment industry, they’re trained with beatings and other negative punishments. And then once they age out of the entertainment industry, they’re locked away in cages, typically for the rest of their lives, and horrifically neglected. So it’s really just a different type of abuse that they experience once, once they’re retired from the entertainment industry, unless they’re retired to a true sanctuary.
DM: As discussions around primate ownership continue to grow, PETA is advocating for the passage of the Captive Primate Safety Act, which seeks to ban the private ownership of primates. Peet, the PETA attorney, provided insight into why her organization views this legislation as significant.
BP: This would be the first-ever federal law restricting private primate possession. Right now, we estimate around 15,000 primates are in private homes, and this industry is enriching unscrupulous breeders. We need to stop this cruel industry.
DM: I reached out to the Rosaire family for comment, and their representative, Mindy Patterson, President and Co- Founder of The Cavalry Group, LLC, which advocates for and defends the constitutional and private property rights of law-abiding animal owners and animal-related businesses, described PETA’s recent initiatives as politically driven and released the following statement:
“Over the last 20+ years, I have personally witnessed “animal rights” as a political agenda that has been chipping away incrementally by altering and eroding Americans’ views about animal ownership and animal use of any kind through our media, schools, through legislation, and even litigation. Their goal is to end the use of animals in every possible capacity from biomedical research, food, entertainment, sport, rodeos, fairs exhibition, 4-H, FFA, etc. Everything from the pet on your lap to the steak on your plate. PETA regularly employs emotionally charged propaganda in their efforts to harm legitimate animal-related businesses which do not align with their animal rights ideology.”
This is Dayana Melendez, reporting for WSLR News.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.