The July 1 killing of the now-famous lion, Cecil, sparked a global outcry. Even away from Zimbabwe where Cecil was killed, or Minnesota where his killer resides, the rest of the world has followed constant media coverage and taken to social media to mourn or shame or defend Cecil’s killer. A local animal rights controversy hasn’t made headlines like Cecil, but some Virginia activists hope to garner support for an issue that hits a bit closer to home.
Right off Interstate 81 in Natural Bridge, a zoo owned by Karl and Debbie Mogensen has racked up a number of federal citations and fines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, which issues exotic animal exhibition permits, has its own issues with the zoo.
On a recent visit to the zoo, two small deer called muntjacs had visible scratches on their faces and monkeys with balding fur could be heard whimpering like scared dogs. Llamas grazed the gravel outside of their pen, a flightless bird called a double-wattled cassowary had a broken casque on his head, fallow deer had ripped ears and three camels had unkempt, mangy-looking fur that dangled in thin strands. One python was fully submerged in a shallow plastic tub of dirty water while the rest of his cage was scattered with clumps of shedded skin. A nameless bird ingested a piece of flimsy plastic that blew into its cage.
Some animals had grass in their cages—thick and overgrown—and some had only gravel, dirt or cement to walk or lay down on.
“Everybody is dedicated to the animals,” Debbie Mogensen says after teaching a younger staff member how to trim a bird’s overgrown wings. The zoo is family-owned and the staff is well-trained, she says. A vet comes twice a month while another is always on call for emergencies.
According to Mogensen, the trend of animal rights activists relentlessly filing complaints has persisted over the past 10 years and these groups will “file a complaint about anything.” She says they’re against all zoos, not just Natural Bridge Zoo
But at Natural Bridge, the DGIF has suspended its license twice in the past for violating the minimal conditions of its required permit issued by the state—most recently in March with a reinstatement at the end of May. Though the owners say they spent the three months of the zoo’s closure fixing all things the USDA cited and paying federal penalties, it wasn’t long before People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals struck again.
On July 21, PETA filed two new complaints with the USDA for neglect and cruelty and a new investigation is underway at both Natural Bridge Zoo and its non-affiliated Virginia Safari Park, which is owned by the Mogensens’ son, Eric. PETA’s ultimate goal is to have both facilities closed permanently with the animals relocated to a sanctuary, according to Rachel Matthews of PETA’s captive animal law enforcement division.
PETA’s complaints routinely document abuse and neglect at Natural Bridge Zoo with reports and videos of capuchin monkeys languishing with hair loss and skin issues, giraffes and a llama with overgrown hooves, a mandrill ingesting a toy ball and zebras, kudus and other animals confined to filthy enclosures.
Some activists focus solely on retiring the zoo’s only elephant, Asha, who was taken from Africa when she was 1 year old and kept in what activists refer to as “solitary confinement.” Elephants, especially females like Asha, are known for being social animals. In early 2015, an animal welfare group called In Defense of Animals voted Natural Bridge the worst zoo for elephants in America.
“What did they pay for her?” says Mieke Zylstra, a Charlottesville resident and member of a group called “Voices for Asha the Elephant,” which currently has almost 2,000 followers on Facebook. “Can’t we buy her and bring her to the sanctuary?” A petition to have Asha removed from the zoo currently has almost 40,000 signatures on Change.org. Among supporters for retiring Asha to a sanctuary is United Nations Messenger of Peace, Dr. Jane Goodall.
In June, Zylstra was among a group of 25 people, organized by In Defense of Animals and One World Conservation, who traveled from all over Virginia and Washington, D.C. to gather near the zoo and raise awareness of the poor conditions in which Asha lives.
“Drawing from what I have read of the zoo’s conditions, and from what the owners have said in response to criticisms,” Zylstra says, “I don’t believe that they have the means, the knowledge, or most importantly, the will to operate the facility in a way that would provide humane treatment of the animals.”