Stanley the Giraffe Becomes Evidence in Criminal Case Against Semler Family
Stanley the Giraffe, star of the silver screen and locally-beloved attraction, has now been officially classified as evidence in a case being prosecuted by the District Attorney of Los Angeles County. Criminal charges against the Semler family, the owners of Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu, California, have resulted in Stanley being “seized in place” while the investigation is ongoing.
Stanley the Giraffe is no stranger to the spotlight. Stanley was the giraffe that appeared in the movie “The Hangover Part III,” and has been the featured attraction of the Malibu Wine Safari at Saddlerock Ranch since 2015. You may recognize the 18-foot-tall giraffe from appearing in countless selfies with celebrities and others lucky enough to meet him one-on-one at the expansive ranch and winery along the Los Angeles coastline. Unfortunately, Stanley’s latest reason for appearing in the news might mean the end of his life in the public eye.
For years, visitors to Saddlerock Ranch have been paying $100 a ticket for a tour of the grounds and its collection of exotic animals, which include zebras, camels, and the famous Stanley. It has now come to light that the company offering these tours, known as Malibu Wine Safaris, never obtained the proper permits from Los Angeles County that would permit them to use these exotic animals for commercial reasons.
It was the Woolsey Fire of 2018 that first caused public attention to fall on the Semler family’s treatment of Stanley. During the fire, Stanley’s caretakers at Saddlerock Ranch did not evacuate Stanley from the property, causing concern among members of the public who saw photos of the giraffe with flame-tinged smoke rising behind him. While the wine safaris were no secret to the County of Los Angeles, it was only an outcry over Stanley’s safety during the fire that caused the County to take steps to enforce permit requirements for exotic animals being used for a commercial purpose. In fact, county animal control officials regularly inspected the ranch’s animal enclosures, and the Semler family received orders to apply for appropriate permits from the county as far back as 2015. In August 2019, Los Angeles County filed criminal misdemeanor charges against Dakota Semler, owner and CEO of Malibu Wine Safaris, for failing to obtain the required county permit to operate the safari tour business. Dakota has pled not guilty to these charges.
In June 2020, Ron Semler, Dakota’s father and the registered owner of Stanley, began facing scrutiny for his role in Stanley’s presence on the ranch, and he now faces misdemeanor criminal charges of his own. Namely, Ron has been charged with lying on his application with the State of California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife by claiming on his “restricted species” permit application that he was in compliance with all local laws regarding the giraffe. Ron was notified by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife that his “restricted species” permit application had been denied due to the falsehood on his application, and he was given 30 days to transfer Stanley to a permitted facility, out of state, or to have him humanely destroyed if he did not want Stanley to be seized by state officials. It is the California Department of Fish and Wildlife that performed the “seizure in place” of the giraffe. Stanley will continue to live at Saddlerock Ranch for the time being while the criminal case is ongoing, due to the difficulty of transporting such a large animal. You can rest assured that officials have clarified that Stanley is safe from being “humanely destroyed.” Ron has also pled not guilty to his charges.
Why did the California Department of Fish and Wildlife fail to press charges when it became public in August 2019 that the facility was not properly permitted? While outside observers can’t know for certain, the Department’s enforcement action was closely timed with numerous complaints from customers who did not receive refunds for safari tours that were canceled because of the coronavirus. In some cases, Malibu Wine Safaris continued selling tickets for tours even after they had closed the facility due to the pandemic. When dozens of aggrieved customers tried to get refunds on the tickets they purchased for canceled tours, Malibu Wine Safaris either failed to respond to these requests or offered a voucher for hike or bike tours in lieu of a refund. Representatives from Malibu Wine Safaris or Saddlerock Ranch have declined to comment on these stories.
