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RESCUE OR REVENUE?
USDA: REGULATED ANIMAL EXHIBITION CONTINUED AFTER EXHIBITOR’S LICENSE WAS CANCELED
An organization presented as a primate “rescue.” Monkeys transported to public events. Children allowed direct physical contact.
And a federal exhibitor license that USDA says had been canceled more than two years earlier.
A June 2026 USDA inspection report involving Michael Robison—associated with Small Primate Animal Rescue of TN (SPARTN) and animal exhibition under the name “Wild Encounters”—raises serious questions about animal welfare, public safety and regulatory compliance.
According to USDA, the facility’s Class C exhibitor license was canceled by the licensee on March 12, 2024. Despite this, USDA reported that animals continued to be exhibited to the public for compensation.
Inspectors documented an April 25, 2026 Earth Day Expo in Athens, Alabama, involving two black-handed spider monkeys. According to USDA, photographs showed monkeys on leashes being used for hands-on encounters, with adults and children holding, petting and directly interacting with them.
The event organizer told USDA she paid $935 for the encounter through an online vendor platform. USDA also reported that the exhibitor’s online profile indicated he was USDA licensed—although agency records showed the license had been canceled in March 2024.
USDA stated:
“Continuing to conduct regulated activity without a license is a serious violation of the Animal Welfare Act.”
The agency further stated that no regulated activities may be conducted until a USDA license is obtained.
THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST USDA CONCERN.
In January 2024, USDA issued a Critical citation involving Mojo, a male vervet monkey whose incisor and canine teeth had been extracted.
Inspectors reported that documentation of the procedure was not provided and that the veterinarian identified in the facility’s veterinary-care program said he had neither performed nor recommended the extraction.
USDA stated that removing canine teeth from nonhuman primates solely for handling or husbandry purposes is unacceptable and can result in pain, discomfort and chronic health problems. USDA also cited the licensee for deciding to remove Mojo’s teeth without considering other husbandry, enrichment or training options.
An August 2023 USDA inspection documented additional concerns involving vervet monkeys, including animal-handling issues, inadequate perimeter fencing, damaged enclosure areas with sharp edges and exposed insulation, an accessible light fixture, surfaces that could not be readily cleaned and sanitized, and sheltered housing measured at 93°F during the inspection.
Taken together, these federal records raise important questions:
* Why were animals exhibited for compensation after the USDA license was canceled?
* Were event organizers aware of the license status?
* Were children and the public adequately protected during direct contact with primates?
* Why were veterinary records concerning Mojo’s tooth extractions not provided?
And perhaps the larger question:
How does a self-described primate “rescue” reconcile its mission with transporting primates to paid public events and facilitating hands-on encounters?
“Rescue” should mean more than a name.
When wild animals are transported to events, placed on leashes, handled by children and used in paid encounters, the public has every right to ask:
Who is benefiting from the encounter—and is it truly the animal?
Transparency matters.
Accountability matters.
Animal welfare matters.
Life in the Garden of Captives:
Examining the realities of captive wildlife through facts, transparency, and accountability.
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