Holly's license was set to expire on October 7 of this year, more than a month after the escape, according to a list on the APHIS website (which was last updated at the end of September). Licenses needed to be renewed annually, according to the USDA's website, until the summer of 2020 when the agency began transitioning to three-year licenses. It's unclear whether there were any animals on the Upper Marlboro property during the intervening months. Holly received a new license for the Maryland location in October 2020. That license was canceled in June 2020 due to failure to renew, according to agency emails provided to DCist/WAMU.
Holly has had a Class A USDA breeding license through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.įor many years, he was licensed for two sites - one in Florida and one in Maryland. "You'll see his inspection reports and see that there's some really crummy stuff in there." "He has sent animals all over the country and acquired animals from all over the country," says Lisa Wathne, a senior strategist for captive wildlife with the Humane Society of the United States. He's also on the radar of animal welfare advocates, who have been tracking his business for the past decade. Holly isn't just well known to others in the exotic animals trade in the United States, a difficult-to-track market that includes breeders, exhibitors, and dealers. "If they didn't fault anybody for things with animals, they'd be out of a job." "The government is in business to find fault," she says. While she says she didn't have prior knowledge of any of Holly's citations, Ferraro is skeptical of the work of inspectors. "He has some of the most rare exotics in the country and the quality of his animals is exceptional." While he has kept a low-profile throughout the recent media frenzy, "Jerry Holly is very well known" in the business, according to Dominique Ferraro, the founder of Zebras R Us, a sales platform for zebras and other animals.
#TENNESSEE SAFARI PARK SERIES#
Holly has not responded to multiple requests for comment over the past two weeks, including a series of voicemails left on a recording for "Jerry Holly." When reached over the phone, family members declined to comment. Department of Agriculture for more than 100 violations of the Animal Welfare Act, including failure to maintain fencing around the pastures that contained zebras, as well as unclean housing and water for animals, lack of proper record keeping, and animals with open wounds. Florida's wildlife agency sought to revoke his state-issued license over violations of rules regarding animals, and Holly has been cited by the U.S. Prince George's County officials say he owned 39 zebras on a 300-acre farm in Upper Marlboro, Md (including the three escapees).Īn examination of public records, licenses, and reports shows an exotic animal breeding business in two states that spans far more than zebras: Holly has owned large cats, primates, giraffes, and bears, among other animals. The zebra owner has not spoken to members of the media or otherwise made public statements, even after the recent revelation that one of the escaped zebras died in a snare trap a month ago. The escape of three zebras from a Maryland farm in late August has captivated the region, but the person at the center of it all - exotic animal breeder Jerry Holly - has remained an enigma throughout the saga.
A newborn baby zebra named Seka rests at the Belgrade Zoo in Serbia.
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