A whistleblower who worked at Reptiles by Mack, an animal supplier for PetSmart stores, has revealed shocking video evidence to PETA, showing rampant cruelty and neglect. Bearded dragons at the facility reportedly shook and twitched uncontrollably due to a suspected virus; some had severed limbs and tails, and they were denied basic necessities like water. In less than eight weeks, the whistleblower discovered 69 dead bearded dragons.

In response, PETA has sent a letter to PetSmart’s CEO urging the company to stop selling bearded dragons as a first step toward ending all live animal sales. The organization is also encouraging the public to boycott PetSmart until these changes are made.

The eyewitness, who worked at Reptiles by Mack in Xenia, Ohio, for nearly a year, told PETA that he stayed at the facility to try to help the animals. However, he reached his breaking point, saying that every effort he made to care for the bearded dragons was met with threats of disciplinary action for being “off task.”

The former employee described conditions at the Ohio facility as appalling. More than 420 bearded dragons were reportedly killed in just eight weeks, gassed with carbon dioxide after being labeled as “slow growers” or otherwise unfit for sale. Injured reptiles were left to suffer for days, awaiting the facility’s veterinarian, who only visited once a week. In one instance, a dragon with a severely injured arm was left untreated after a supervisor dismissed her chances of...

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