PETA Investigation Prompts Federal US Arrest Warrant for Kiwi Animal Dealer
Now Fugitive, Owner of US Global Exotics Presumed to Have Fled to New Zealand
Auckland — Just months after a PETA US undercover cruelty investigation led to the seizure of more than 26,000 animals
from the now-defunct US Global Exotics, Inc. (USGE), former USGE owner and New Zealand citizen Jasen Shaw, who is wanted
by the US federal government, is now on the run. Shaw is under investigation for smuggling, conspiracy, and aiding and
abetting—all of which are violations of the US Lacey Act, a wildlife protection law that is enforced by the Fish and
Wildlife Service. Shaw is believed to have fled back to New Zealand in an attempt to escape prosecution in the US. PETA
US has just released investigative video footage that has never before been seen by the public. As part of their business, USGE also imported wallabies from New
Zealand.
"Federal wildlife laws protect species from overexploitation and ensure humane transport of live animals in trade," said
Special Agent-in-Charge Nicholas Chavez, who oversees US Fish and Wildlife Service law-enforcement operations in the
Southwest. "We appreciate PETA's help with this case. We were able to take the information PETA used to secure the
seizure of the animals, launch a separate investigation of US Global Exotics' import practices, and document multiple
violations. While most importers comply with wildlife protection laws, this company did not."
"For years, US Global Exotics was hell on Earth for animals, but now its owner is on the run," says PETA Vice President
Daphna Nachminovitch. "We commend the US Fish and Wildlife Service for taking swift and decisive action, and we hope
that this case puts the notoriously cruel international animal trade on notice."
USGE was a multimillion-dollar business that bought and sold hundreds of thousands of animals a year and counted among
its customers wholesale dealers that supply animals to pet stores and pet store chains. Evidence gathered during PETA
US' seven-month investigation was shared with local and federal US law-enforcement officials and resulted in the largest
cruelty-to-animals seizure in history. USGE stopped doing business immediately following the seizure. The company's
license from the US Department of Agriculture has been canceled, and its Arlington, Texas, facility is up for sale.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Shaw or his wife, Vanessa, is encouraged to call the US Fish and Wildlife
Service Office of Law Enforcement.
ENDS