ALLEGHANY COUNTY, Va. — A total of 65 animals were rescued and relocated from a Maryland zoo this past weekend as part of a legal settlement with PETA that forced the zoo to close and allowed the organization to rescue "survivors of chronic neglect."
The operation took five days and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) hopes to have all the animals relocated to 14 designated zoos and sanctuaries by the end of October.
The animals were rescued from Tri-State Zoological Park, which officials describe as a defunct roadside zoo that greatly compromised animals’ health, safety and basic needs and was cited for numerous animal welfare and endangered species act violations over two decades.
Several animals, including a lion and tiger, died under the facilities’ care.
In 2019, PETA began filing lawsuits against the zoo. This ultimately led to Tri-State Zoo's permanent closure, including a requirement to re-home its remaining animals.
PETA says many of the animals rescued will need veterinary care after years of neglect.
A dozen of these eclectic animals were rescued by Lions Tigers & Bears, San Diego's only accredited big cat and bear sanctuary.
“It was worse than we could have imagined,” said Lions Tigers & Bears Founder and Director Bobbi Brink. “When we arrived, we saw that the two Himalayan black bears were so overweight, it hindered their mobility and comfort. Their enclosure was shockingly filthy, and the water in their pool area had turned to black sludge. In contrast, it’s been a joy to watch them splashing around in clean water as they get acclimated to their new home at our sanctuary.”
The sanctuary completed the lifesaving animal rescue mission this past weekend, taking in five animals and transporting a dozen animals from the defunct zoo to new and safe homes.
A dozen animals loaded into the rescue hauler for transport to their forever homes included:
- Two female Himalayan black bears
- Two miniature horses
- One llama
- Two emus
- Two coatis
- Two geese
- One pot-bellied pig
The two female Himalayan black bears, Susie and Sallie, mini horses Cappuccino and Dream and Cody the llama will permanently reside at Lions Tigers & Bears where they will finally get the care they deserve. Lions Tigers & Bears Rescue Team delivered the rest of the animals to an accredited sanctuary in Texas.
“The Lions Tigers & Bears Rescue Team was happy to make the cross-country trip, as we are one of very few teams in the country equipped with a self-contained, state-of-the-art exotic animal transport hauler, which allows us to safely transport animals to safe forever homes at accredited sanctuaries throughout the nation,” said Brink.
The five animals being kept at the San Diego sanctuary will be under mandatory quarantine for a minimum of 30 days and will be treated by Lions Tigers & Bears veterinary team before being moved to their permanent habitats.
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