New Footage of Suffering Animals at Roswell Roadside Zoo

For Immediate Release:
January 19, 2017

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

PETA has an update on the complaint that we sent last week asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to investigate Spring River Park & Zoo: Today, PETA sent the USDA video evidence—which was captured by a concerned citizen on January 9—of additional animal-welfare concerns at the roadside zoo.

In its latest letter, PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—notes that, in addition to the photo of the obese mountain lion that it reported last week, new photos show bears with thinning hair and hair loss, which may be caused by parasites, allergies, or stress. Video footage also shows a mountain lion and a coyote pacing repeatedly, a sign of psychological distress caused by inadequate living conditions. Additional concerns include ring-tailed lemurs and birds of prey confined to small, barren cages.

“From a seemingly obese mountain lion to an endlessly pacing coyote, animals are suffering at Spring River Park & Zoo, as evidence shows,” says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet. “PETA is calling on the authorities to inspect every animal at this roadside zoo and ensure that they all receive the care that they need.”

PETA’s new letter to the USDA comes just after the agency released its most recent inspection report of the facility, which reveals that an inspector found old food and rodent feces in the lemur enclosure, an insufficient number of adequately trained employees to care for nonhuman primates, and crumbling walls in the bear pit, among other animal-welfare violations.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.