Why did the USDA shut down an online animal abuse database?

An online database documenting animal abuse suddenly disappeared from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website on Friday, sparking outrage among animal rights activists. 

Thousands of inspection reports and other information documenting animals mistreated, injured, or killed at research laboratories, zoos, puppy mills, and elsewhere were removed due to privacy concerns, said the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in a statement.