Feds Cite Cedar Point ‘Petting Zoo’ Exhibitor for Camel and Goat Escapes After PETA’s Tip-Off
For Immediate Release:
August 12, 2024
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
A report just obtained by PETA reveals that the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited Cedar Point “petting zoo” operator Sally Powell and her business, Honey Hill Farm, for the escape of two camels on June 11 and around 15 goats on June 15. The report alleges that visitors were able to enter the animals’ enclosures—even though the area was closed to the public at the time—and release them into the amusement park. It also cites Powell for failing to have enough employees to safely monitor public contact with animals (such as camels, who can bite and kick) and for a dilapidated fence with a 3-foot-long hole in it surrounded by sharp, broken wires, which created a dangerous environment.
PETA alerted the agency to the escapes and requested that it investigate. Video that captured the camels’ escape shows the frightened animals running through the park and coming dangerously close to kicking a visitor in a wheelchair.
“No animal should be confined to a tiny pen where they’re subjected to a constant barrage of human handling and the deafening roar of roller coasters overhead,” says PETA Foundation Senior Director of Captive Animal Welfare Debbie Metzler. “PETA believes that Cedar Point needs to shut down this miserable tourist trap and encourages people to steer clear of any shoddy attraction that exploits animals.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
