Roadside Zoos on Notice as PETA Keeps the Pressure On
Shady exhibitors should sleep with one eye open because PETA is always keeping tabs on roadside zoos that subject animals to miserable exploitation. Laws meant to protect animals at these seedy facilities are alarmingly inadequate—but as we have seen, many of these abysmal operations can’t even meet the bottom-of-the-barrel minimum standards of care.
We ensure that roadside zoos don’t get off scot-free by contacting authorities when we receive tips from concerned individuals or when we see red flags on social media.
Every time we alert officials to abuse and neglect at a roadside zoo, we get one step closer to shutting it down. We’ve exposed operations for denying animals adequate space and enrichment, for failing to provide animals with needed veterinary care, for confining animals to filthy enclosures, and for other apparent violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Over the past years, we’ve seen a promising spike in citations and inspections from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that stemmed from our complaints.
PETA Stopped This Roadside Zoo from Opening
Lakeshore Wilderness Retreats, a planned roadside zoo in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, has been stopped in its tracks. The company intended to operate as a safari hotel, with captive animals on constant display for human entertainment—which would have been illegal.
When PETA discovered these shady plans, we rushed a letter to county officials alerting them to the situation. They swiftly intervened and barred Lakeshore Wilderness Retreats and all other roadside zoos from opening there.
Molly Waller and Nicholas Rich, who planned the seedy facility, have a long history of working at roadside zoos. Several of their former employers were cited under the AWA for egregious failures in animal care.
We can only imagine how the wolves and other individuals they planned to imprison and dominate in this facility would have suffered.
PETA Has Stirred Trouble for These Roadside Zoos
- Missouri Primate Foundation? Shut Down!
- Joe Exotic’s roadside zoo? Shut Down!
- Tim Stark’s roadside zoo? Shut Down!
PETA’s track record is clear: We get results for animals trapped in roadside hellholes. Here are just a few of the federal citations PETA’s recent reports have prompted:
Arbuckle Wilderness Park
Before PETA raised the alarm about a roadside dump in Davis, Oklahoma, called Arbuckle Wilderness Park, it had already been cited for condemning a lemur to solitary confinement and for causing a highly social primate—who, in nature, would have lived in a group of up to 25 individuals—to pace continuously due to psychological distress. It was also cited for failing to provide animals with veterinary care and for apparently neglecting several animals who were underweight, including a severely thin llama who had died before a veterinarian arrived.
In December 2023, following a PETA complaint, USDA officials cited the crummy outfit when inspectors found exposed electric cords in a parrot enclosure, a platform that had exposed sharp points in a tiger enclosure, and that emus and peacocks didn’t have clean drinking water.
Project Survival Cat Haven
A sham conservation organization in Dunlap, California, Project Survival Cat Haven puts big cats on display so tourists can gawk at them. Following a tip from PETA, federal officials cited the facility over the unsafe transport of a 6-week-old cougar kitten—who, in nature, would have still been nursing and learning how to hunt. According to the inspection report, the kitten was sitting on the laps of staff and on the floor of a moving vehicle.
Three Monkeys Photo Emporium
A shoddy attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Three Monkeys Photo Emporium exploits intelligent, curious monkeys in photo ops—a picture that’s much different from their natural habitats, where they would be swinging on branches and socializing with their friends and families.
A USDA inspection that stemmed from a PETA complaint revealed that staff had placed capuchins on customers’ shoulders for a photo shoot without ensuring that they had direct control of the animals, risking injury to both them and customers. Officials also observed an otter pacing along an enclosure wall and tossing her head, likely due to mental anguish.
Utah Reindeer
Utah Reindeer is a sleazy operation that treats sensitive reindeer like holiday props, renting them out for events and photo ops during the Christmas season. After PETA alerted officials to the deaths of two reindeer, Jingle and Peppermint, who had been hit by cars after they escaped from a travel trailer during transport, the USDA slapped the business with an official warning.
TNT Exotics
The USDA cited TNT Exotics, a dismal roadside petting zoo in Shelbyville, Indiana, for multiple violations, including for housing a spider monkey alone—which can inflict extreme stress on these highly social animals. Officials also saw enclosures that were caked with feces, live mice and flies in a sloth enclosure, and a turkey who had suffered feather loss after being picked at by a yak.
Stay Far Away From Roadside Zoos and Other Cruel Tourist Traps
As long as animals suffer at roadside zoos, we’ll work relentlessly to shut them down. You can urge these facilities to send the animals they hold to reputable sanctuaries by taking action below:
