Feds Cite Cruel, Filthy Mobile Zoo for 17 Violations Following PETA Complaint

USDA Confirms Whistleblower’s Scathing Report of Animal Suffering

For Immediate Release:
August 29, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Mobile, Ala. – PETA has just obtained government records showing that on July 26, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) slapped The Mobile Zoo—an unaccredited roadside menagerie with an abysmal history of animal care—with 17 citations for violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). They include having an enclosure encrusted with feces and denying numerous animals adequate veterinary care. The inspection followed a PETA complaint that was based on a report by a whistleblower, who is a former employee at the zoo. The whistleblower reported, among other things, that an ostrich who was denied veterinary care died of hypothermia and that animals were regularly fed moldy or rotten food. Every regular USDA inspection of The Mobile Zoo since 2010 has found violations, and all but one included repeat infractions.

“Animals at this despicable facility are denied basic veterinary care, forced to live in filth, and left to die from curable illnesses,” says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. “Children naturally love animals, so we’re asking parents never to take them to The Mobile Zoo.”

The following are only a few of The Mobile Zoo’s violations cited by the USDA:
• The bobcat enclosure contained fresh and encrusted feces and had a “stale and musty/foul smell.” The enclosures for both the macaque monkeys and the mangabey were strewn with old food and dirt and infested with roaches.  
• A chimpanzee showed signs of psychological distress by jumping, banging, throwing dirt, and spitting, and both his and other primates’ enclosures lacked the enrichment required by the AWA.
• Both the chimpanzee and the big-cat enclosures were insecure, putting both the animals and the public in danger.
• Bears panted after they were denied adequate water in 90-degree weather, and their housing was infested with roaches.
• No follow-up veterinary care was provided for a leopard with persistent hair loss around both eyes.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.