Nearly 100 exotic animals were confiscated from a roadside zoo in Virginia amid allegations the animals were being mistreated.
Search warrants served at the Natural Bridge Zoo in Rockbridge County show 89 live animals were captured and another 28 deceased animals were removed.
The arrest warrants were issued in connection with the care and mistreatment of animals.
Dozens of animals with various health problems were found, apparently living in “dirty” habitats and many were not receiving proper care or sufficient food and water.
The warrant gives several examples, including deer fighting each other while being fed food by visitors through a pipe system.
A West Virginia roadside zoo is the subject of a criminal investigation that resulted in the removal of nearly 100 living and dead animals
Search warrants at the Natural Bridge Zoo in Rockbridge County revealed 89 live and 28 dead animals were seized
Arrest warrants were issued in connection with allegations of negligence and animal cruelty in animal care, as numerous animals suffered from health problems
The zoo owner's daughter, Gretchen Mogensen, seemed completely surprised by the incident
On another occasion, a bloated dead goat appeared to have been left there for more than an hour without staff noticing it.
Other live animals taken included lemurs, macaws, pythons and llamas, according to the arrest warrant filed Friday in county District Court.
As of Wednesday last week, the property was wrapped in crime scene tape.
Many boxes and animal trucks were brought to the zoo to collect the animals.
The warrant said the raid at the zoo was based on first-hand observations and investigations, with investigators “believing that there is a direct and imminent threat to the health and safety of the animals at the zoo.”
Search warrants served at the Natural Bridge Zoo in Rockbridge County show 89 live animals were seized
Mogensen cried as she gave an interview. “They had a search warrant that said this was a confidential informant employed here who he said had allegedly seen what he said was cruelty, abuse and neglect by all the zookeepers and everyone else.”
Local news crews captured the moments when animals were taken away from the zoo in crates
Officials worked for several days to remove the animals from the zoo
Some of the seized animals were captured on drone video from above
State police were also on site as animal control officers responded to the scene
One of the dead animals was a 12-year-old Siberian white tiger named Zeus
The white tiger had to be euthanized with the consent of the owners to “end its suffering in a humane way.”
The arrest warrant lists disturbing allegations of animal cruelty.
A confidential informant who worked at the zoo claims he was told by the elephant keeper that to gain the animals' respect they had to use a bullhook (a pole with a metal hook and tip).
The zookeeper made statements such as “always” the animals sting where “bones are close to the meat”.
The search warrant also describes several phrases used by the zookeeper, including: “Make it count,” “The only reason you hit an elephant is intimidation,” and “Respect is earned through fear.”
In the case of the elephant, the informant described that the animal, named Asha, lived in substandard conditions and that the animal slept in its own urine and was given cold baths because keepers did not want to “babysit” it too much.
The elephant was chained and tied to a wall, meaning she couldn't move out of her own dung and urine.
The affidavits state that Asha, “who has lived as a lonely elephant for decades, has very limited wealth.” “Asha sways and rocks back and forth to calm herself and relieve boredom and stress.”
On June 3, the confidential informant documented, Easley said Asha was carrying 166 zoo guests on her back, affidavits said. The next day she wore 191.
A sign at the zoo's elephant riding area sets the elephant's weight limit at 250 pounds. But the confidential informant “regularly” saw two adults and a child riding Asha at the same time.
The search warrant examined every single aspect of the zoo, including records of donations made or received (of animals), animal care records, veterinary records, animal feed records, certificates of veterinary inspections, transportation records, sales receipts, daily visitor logs, communications, etc. Documents relating to the care and handling of animals and all digital storage devices, including cameras, computers, external hard drives and cell phones.
While investigators were on scene, a giraffe could be seen in its enclosure
Camels were also clearly visible in drone videos taken from above
The roadside zoo is based in Rockbridge County, Virginia, near Roanoke
The warrant included a list of animals, many of which were listed as dead. According to WDBJ, these included everything from lemurs to birds, pythons, turtles, a donkey and an alligator.
Body parts were also listed, including the head, tail and legs of a giraffe and the legs of a zebra.
Attorney General Jason Miyares' office is conducting the investigation with assistance from Virginia State Police.
The Attorney General's Animal Law Unit provides assistance and prosecution in animal cruelty cases at the request of a local commonwealth's attorney or law enforcement agency, Miyares spokeswoman Victoria LaCivita said.
“As this is an ongoing criminal investigation, we are unable to provide any further comment.”
LaCivita confirmed that one of the dead animals was a 12-year-old Siberian white tiger named Zeus, who had to be euthanized with the consent of the owners to humanely end his suffering.
The zoo owner's daughter, Gretchen Mogensen, appeared surprised by the alleged events and cried as she spoke to WSLS10.
“They had a search warrant for a confidential informant employed here who, according to him, had allegedly seen what he believed was cruelty, abuse and neglect by all the zookeepers and everyone else,” Mogensen explained.
“All the zookeepers stayed because they all wanted to take care of the animals, which speaks volumes for the work they do, but unfortunately they are portrayed as monsters by the state for simply trying to do their job while the animal control officers do it. 'will be represented as wonderful.'
Mario Williams, an attorney for the zoo owner, questioned the investigation and added that the zoo would seek to stop any permanent seizure of the animals, which he said was unconstitutional.
“We will challenge the criminal charges one by one and show us where the neglect lay. You have to show us all of this.' You know, you just can't go around saying things. And actually without any evidence,” Williams said.
Four giraffes, three females and one male, “were not seized, but a seizure hearing will be held to determine whether the animals were subjected to cruel treatment or neglect,” at a hearing scheduled for Dec. 20.
In 2019, the USDA issued Natural Bridge Zoo over 150 citations regarding animal handling, sanitation, and housing.
A call to Natural Zoo Bridge went unanswered Sunday and there was no immediate response to an email seeking comment. The zoo was already closed for the winter.