“AG Jason Miyares has taken a firm stance against transparency and chosen to continue to operate in the shadows.  This is damaging to both the people and animals of Virginia.” 

by Heidi Crosky from the Virginia Animal Owners Alliance

Attorney General Jason Miyares is publicly very proud of his Animal Law Unit and the good work they are supposedly doing saving animals.  Behind the scenes though, he seems to have much to hide. The Attorney General recently denied two Freedom of Information Act requests about this very unit.  One request was in regard to the disposition of seized tigers and another pertained to payments made to a Richmond-based veterinarian.

The Natural Bridge Zoo case which began in December 2023 has brought the Animal Law Unit out of the shadows and into the sunlight.  The Mogensens have fought harder and longer than most people are financially able and their case now sits in the Virginia Court of Appeals.  The Animal Law Unit has argued that over 90 exotic animals were in such bad condition that they had to be removed instantly from the zoo. This unit then spread these animals out across the Country with zero accountability as to their location or current condition.

The Virginia Animal Owners Alliance wanted to learn more about this disposition process and submitted a FOIA request regarding an old case from several years ago.  We asked the Attorney General to:

“produce the intake records and final disposition records in an electronic format of the tigers seized from Keith Wilson and Wilson’s Wild Animal Park on August 15, 2019 through the General District Court Order on August 29, 2019.”

We were given a quote of $282.68 and mailed our check payable to the Treasurer of Virginia. We were shocked days later when we received a second letter instead of the requested documents.  The letter read in part:

“The Office received your deposit check and has processed your request. There are approximately nine record responsive to your request. The records are being withheld pursuant to Virginia Code Section 2.2-3706.1(C). The withheld record’s subject matter is Keith Wilson and Wilson’s Wild Animal Park. The Office waived the cost of completing this request. Your deposit check will be voided and destroyed.”

This is very odd, because we were not asking about a current investigation. The Wilson case has been concluded for years with the statutory period for appeal long since expired.  To claim this is an active investigation is absurd.

The law is clear in Virginia as to how companion animals may be disposed of after a hearing pursuant to 3.2-6569. The law requires certain documents to be signed and affirming statements made by the “adopter.”  The code also specifies, no more than two animals may be adopted by any person during a 30 day period. These documents requested must be used and kept by any agency releasing animals after a 3.2-6569 hearing. To attempt to hide these documents under the false claim of an ongoing investigation certainly suggests the Attorney General has something to hide.

Information about Dr. Chad Hundley was also requested. He was part of the Mogensen case and testified in Circuit Court against them.  However, his impartiality and professional opinion has come into question following his reported statement that he makes a lot of money from these cases.

We wanted to learn exactly how much money Dr. Hundley makes through these raids and submitted the following request (again being careful to specify dates prior to the Mogensen case):

“I am writing today to request copies of all payments made by the Office of the Attorney General to Dr. Chad Hundley of Hundley Veterinary Services at 8300 Hopkins Road, Richmond, Virginia 23237 from January 1, 2019 – November 30, 2023. This includes but is not limited to payments made from the Office the Attorney General Animal Law Unit Grant Funds.”

The response from the Attorney General read in part:

“There is approximately one record responsive to your request. The record is being withheld pursuant to Virginia Code Section 2.2-3706.1(C). The withheld record’s subject matter is Hundley Veterinary Services.”

This response was unusual, because we were only seeking financial/administrative records–not investigative ones.  Again, the claimed exemption would suggest that there is an ongoing criminal investigation pertaining to these records that has been going on for at least four years.

It is also worth noting that Dr. Hundley was asked on the stand if he had “done this sort of work” for the Attorney General before.  He testified, “No, sir.”  The defense clarified that this was his first time and he testified, “Yes, sir.”

Yet, apparently one record exists in the Attorney General’s Office pertaining to Dr. Hundley prior to November 30, 2023.  Did Dr. Hundley tell the truth?

Attorney General Jason Miyares has taken a firm stance against transparency and chosen to continue to operate in the shadows.  This is damaging to both the people and animals of Virginia.  The Animal Law Unit is a matter of public interest and these questions cannot be ignored.