More than 1,100 chinchillas have been removed from an Ohio breeding facility after federal investigators documented what officials described as serious and prolonged animal welfare violations.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio approved a consent decree requiring R & R Chinchilla Inc. and its owner, James F. Ritterspach, to surrender more than 300 chinchillas remaining at the facility in Jenera, Ohio.

Dig deeper: The company previously surrendered roughly 800 additional chinchillas to animal welfare organizations under a modified temporary restraining order, according to the Justice Department.