Feds Bust Spot Dubbed ‘Worst Roadside Zoo’ by PETA
For Immediate Release:
June 16, 2021
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection report just obtained by PETA reveals that notorious roadside outfit Waccatee Zoo received several federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) citations in May after it left two limping sheep without veterinary care, failed to provide animals with clean water, and neglected safety protocols, leading to the escape of a capuchin monkey during the inspection.
The report indicates that the roadside zoo’s staff hadn’t noticed that one of the aoudad sheep was limping and that it took a federal inspector to point it out and that water left out for aoudad sheep and fallow deer contained copious quantities of brown sludge at the bottom of the container. The USDA also notes that the escape of the capuchin monkey could have caused injury to the animal and members of the public.
“The long-suffering animals at this ramshackle roadside zoo need help now,” says PETA Foundation Associate Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Michelle Sinnott. “PETA stands ready to help place them in reputable facilities and asks that the public hit the accelerator if they ever drive by this hellhole.”
PETA notes that Waccatee has a history of AWA citations dating back at least two decades, such as for failing to provide animals—including a lion who had difficulty walking—with adequate veterinary care and for keeping bears and cougars in enclosures that lack adequate space. Just this past March, an ailing tiger named Lila was confirmed dead after months of wasting away, losing fur, and turning in endless circles inside her dismal cage. Following her death, PETA has asked South Carolina law enforcement for a criminal investigation into the roadside zoo.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
