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Case #4019 Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Illegal trafficking of exotic animals
Racine, MN (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Feb 29, 2000
County: Mower
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Kenneth G. Kraft
» Nancy Kraft
» Marcus Cook - Acquitted
» Craig Perry - Acquitted
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
The owner of an animal park in southeastern Minnesota who faces charges that he participated in the illegal trafficking of wild and exotic animals was convicted Thursday on two counts of witness tampering in connection with the case.
Kenneth G. Kraft, 67, of Racine, Minn., was convicted by a jury in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis of instructing a person to lie to federal agents by saying that two bear cubs he bought from Kraft in March 2000 had been legally donated rather than illegally purchased.
A sentencing date has not been set.
Kraft and his wife, Nancy, who ran an animal park in Racine called BEARCAT Hollow, will stand trial next week in Minneapolis on 28 counts of illegal trafficking of variety of animals, including tigers, leopards and grizzly bears. Seven people from out of state also have been charged in connection with the case.
Racine is located about 105 miles south of the Twin Cities.
Case UpdatesU.S. District Judge Ann Montgomery, of Minneapolis, on June 2, 2005 sentenced former BEARCAT Hollow wildlife park owner Nancy Kraft, 63, to serve 15 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release and 100 hours of community service. Kraft was convicted by a jury on March 24, 2005 of seven felony counts of falsifying documents and conspiracy, in connection with illegal sales of $200,000 worth of animals reportedly including leopards, lions, tigers, and grizzly bears.
The animals went to "other breeders, dealers, and even a taxidermist," wrote Shannon Prather of Pioneer Press.
Kraft's husband, Kenneth Kraft, 67, pleaded guilty to similar charges, as did two other defendants. The case originally involved 55 counts filed against nine individuals, but Montgomery dismissed 25 counts before the trial began, and acquitted defendants Marcus Cook, of Texas, and Craig Perry, of Montana.
Opened in 2000, housing up to 300 animals at a time, BEARCAT Hollow claimed to be a nonprofit wildlife sanctuary, but charged an admission fee of $10, operating more like a roadside zoo. The Krafts and BEARCAT Hollow came under investigation after a 400-pound Siberian tiger in July 2001 injured visitor Emily Hartman, 7, of Rochester, Minnesota. "The 2001 attack was just the start of troubles at BEARCAT Hollow," wrote Pioneer Press reporter Prather. "In December 2001, a 10-month-old bear escaped and damaged a neighbor's porch. In 2003, paperwork showed that a man who was mauled by a tiger he raised in his New York apartment had obtained the cat from the Krafts. BEARCAT Hollow at peak kept about 300 animals on 25 acres. It reportedly closed in 2004. In May 2005 the Krafts reportedly obtained permits to relocate about 30 animals, including lions, tigers, and bears, to a private wildlife sanctuary in Spearfish, South Dakota. | Source: The Watchdog - June 2005
Update posted on Feb 9, 2008 - 8:05AM |
References- Star Tribune - March 11, 2005
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