The Mobile Zoo

The Mobile Zoo USDA sues Mobile Zoo and John Hightower in 2015  and USDA sues Mobile Zoo and John Hightower in 2015 count 2

UPDATE: 43 Violations in a Year and a Half at Mobile Zoo http://www.peta.org/blog/whistleblower-says-mobile-zoo-filthy-decaying-dump/

Nov 2016 USDA revokes license and closes Mobile Zoo.  http://wkrg.com/2016/11/17/usda-closes-mobile-zoo-for-good/

The Mobile Zoo, located in Wilmer, Alabama, has been closed by the United States Department of Agriculture.

In a press release, the USDA says numerous complaints from PETA lead to the zoo’s license being revoked after nearly two decades of being in violation of the Animal Welfare Act. In the most recent inspection report from September 2016, the inspector says there are not enough employees to keep the zoo compliant with their standards. According to the report, there is one full-time employee and one full-time volunteer.  The inspection notes several cages with dried feces, an accumulation of pests in the enclosures, unstable den enclosure conditions, and said some of the ice that had accumulated around the walls of the freezer “had red coloring that appeared to be blood”.

The license revocation means neither the zoo nor its owner will ever be able to legally  exhibit warm-blooded animals. It is up to the zoo as to what will happen to the animals now. The Administrative Law Judge is allowing a one-time exemption for the facility to sell the animals.