PETA Global 2023 Issue 2

PETA's BIGGEST ROADSIDE ZOO RESCUE EVER 72 Animals Saved: BEARS, ALLIGATORS, A MONKEY, AND MORE

Nala, here with a friend, is thriving at her new sanctuary home.

petting breeding facility is now history. PETA saved 39 tigers from Joe Exotic, too, before he was arrested and jailed on murder-for-hire and wildlife crimes. At the now-defunct Dade City Wild Things (DCWT), baby Luna – acquired from Joe Exotic when she was just a week old – howled and cried when she was forced to participate in public encounters. But because of PETA’s ESA lawsuit, Luna is now living in comfort in a lush sanctuary. If not for that win, she surely would have died. Big Cat Hybrids: Unnatural and Vulnerable Exploiters like Tim Stark and Jeff Lowe tried to argue that hybrid big cats – who can suffer from lameness, gigantism, serious physiological defects, and other congenital health problems – were not protected under the ESA. But PETA Foundation lawyers won every argument about the fate of these animals and secured their rescue from the roadside zoos of Stark and Lowe. From Apathy to Action PETA essentially taught federal agencies how to do their job. For example, when the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Jeff Lowe, it embraced PETA’s legal theories and precedent. In a fantastic development, in December 2022, the Big Cat Public Safety Act was signed into law, prohibiting private ownership of big cats and banning public contact with them. Future generations of cubs will now be spared from cub-petting, but PETA had already largely taken down the greedy industry with our court wins. Take Action Now Never visit roadside zoos or have your photo taken with captive animals. Support PETA.org/Donate so this important work can continue.

Hoggle

PETA Decimates the Cruel Cub-Petting Industry

At Tri-State Zoological Park, a hideous roadside “attraction,” a little squirrel monkey spent nearly 20 years alone in a cage in the reptile house, surrounded by natural predators. The staff called him “Spazz,” a cruel reference to his anxious, frantic, stress-induced movements.

Casper

But Spazz – later renamed Hoggle – was rescued from that wretched existence and is now exploring a new life with another squirrel monkey named Ziggy. For Hoggle and 71 other animals who had been forced to live in squalor, it’s a new day, thanks to PETA. Shuttering Tri-State – the seedy facility that confined animals to filthy, decrepit enclosures and deprived them of veterinary care when they needed it – followed years of PETA campaigns, an undercover investigation, and two lawsuits. A federal court judge described Tri-State as "fetid" and "dystopic." And in the end, we won! Moving 30 Species Required a Massive Cooperative Effort It took a great deal of planning, logistics, and coordination – along with lots of tasty treats – but the liberation of 72 animals of different species, the biggest roadside zoo rescue in PETA's history, came off without a hitch. PETA enlisted the help of veterinary experts, reputable sanctuaries, and accredited zoos from all over the country, every one of them willing to provide care for the animals, including exotic birds, a Bengal cat, coatimundis, lizards, and other animals who were suffering from neglect. Many needed immediate veterinary attention. Shell-Shocked Survivors It took popcorn and grapes to persuade the emus to move, and a very skittish llama/alpaca hybrid was so concerned about all the new activity that he required a light sedative. But the two elderly bears, sisters Suzie and Sallie, went into their transport cage without complaint. And so it went – with patience and care, everyone was on their way to a happy ending.

After years of agency inaction, PETA stepped in and did the job

and other suffering animals – including her surviving siblings – be rescued.

King , including more than two dozen from Tim Stark, and laid the groundwork for the US Department of Justice to seize 69 big cats from Jeff Lowe, whose cub

A Pivotal Moment in Record Time Only a couple of years ago, tiger cubs and other baby big cats were being churned out in breeding facilities, forcibly taken away from their distraught mothers, and hauled around the US to be used as moneymaking photo props. The cubs often became exhausted and sickly, and exhibitors jammed in as many photo sessions as they could before the fast-growing cubs became too big to be handled. For years, PETA submitted complaints to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other relevant officials reporting entrenched, egregious cruelty in the cub-petting industry, but not much changed. So we decided to go to court ourselves, and the dominoes started to fall. Today, nearly all the industry’s big players are in custody, out of business, or facing lawsuits or criminal charges – largely because of the diligent efforts of the PETA Foundation’s crack legal team.

LUNA BEFORE

N ala was in trouble. The infant lion hybrid cub had been snatched away from her mother and sent to a sleazy roadside zoo formerly belonging to “Joe Exotic.” Her health quickly went downhill. Maggots ate into her ears until they bled. When she was finally rescued by PETA, she could barely walk. Thanks to lawsuits that PETA filed establishing that animals like Nala are protected under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA), a court ordered that she

PETA had rescued three big cats and three other animals from Tri State earlier on, bringing the total number of animals rescued to 78. It’s one for the history books, and we promise that there are more roadside zoo rescues to come, thanks to the support of our members.

LUNA AFTER

Take Action Now Turn your back on all roadside zoos and visit PETA.org/TriState to read more and take action.

Suzie

The evidence and precedent-setting wins they secured led to the rescue of big cats from the villains of Tiger

Global 21

20 BIG WINS FOR BIG CATS