Natural Bridge Zoo How bad Natural Bridge Zoo really is?

Emanuel Theodorus

Emanuel Theodorus

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
From what I see, Natural Bridge Zoo in Virginia is really infamous among animal rights groups, zoo visitors, and to an extent, even the Zoochatters due to the deplorable conditions many animals living there. Particularly for the lone elephant known as Asha who have to give out rides in a heat of summer and tucked away in a small shed during winter.

But I wanna try to avoid the general misconception "all roadsides are bad" I've previously made during my naive years. Since I can't visit this zoo personally, for any zoochatters that have visited this zoo, can you please describe your experience and the condition of the zoo there? Is the situation is really as bad as the animal rights group have said? I'm really curious about it.
 
birdsandbats said:
Then you shouldn't have put this thread under the category for Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch. :p
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And there's seems to be no way to change that so... must be my subconcious mistake. Oh well.

Anyways I'm still curious to hear it from anyone's experience in this zoo.
 
This raises a bigger question. Why isn’t there a zoochat gallery for natural bridge zoo? You would think that someone would have requested by now, seeing how infamous it is for its animal care?
 
Dhole dude said:
This raises a bigger question. Why isn’t there a zoochat gallery for natural bridge zoo? You would think that someone would have requested by now, seeing how infamous it is for its animal care?
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Yeah it's really weird. I'm surprised with the gallery of many zoos I never thought they exist, Natural Bridge Zoo isn't in the galleries, considering this zoo is very infamous among many communities. That's probably the reason I accidentally put Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch category, because there is none for NBZ.
 
AFAIK no one here has visited the zoo. I almost did in June, but I was tired and didn't feel like pushing myself. I spoke to multiple locals and they all agreed that the place is very poor. Most were members of Virginia Safari Park, so weren't anti-zoo at all, and hadn't been to NBZ in years.
 
TinoPup said:
AFAIK no one here has visited the zoo. I almost did in June, but I was tired and didn't feel like pushing myself. I spoke to multiple locals and they all agreed that the place is very poor. Most were members of Virginia Safari Park, so weren't anti-zoo at all, and hadn't been to NBZ in years.
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I'm pretty sure I know a ZooChatter (I think it's @GraysonDP ) who has visited this zoo. I am incredibly surprised that there is no gallery for this zoo considering how infamous it is. I would've thought someone like @snowleopard who has visited like 500 zoos around the country would visit this place as well and document them. So yeah, very surprised with the lack of gallery and content about this zoo.
 
So, what is the collection of Natural Bridge in Virginia like. Species, exhibits.
Can someone describe it in more detail.
 
Emanuel Theodorus said:
I'm pretty sure I know a ZooChatter (I think it's @GraysonDP ) who has visited this zoo. I am incredibly surprised that there is no gallery for this zoo considering how infamous it is. I would've thought someone like @snowleopard who has visited like 500 zoos around the country would visit this place as well and document them. So yeah, very surprised with the lack of gallery and content about this zoo.
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I don't think snowleopard has explored much along the east coast?
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
So, what is the collection of Natural Bridge in Virginia like. Species, exhibits.
Can someone describe it in more detail.
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They're most infamous for having a lone african elephant, Asha, that they make perform and give rides. They are one of the main targets of HSUS, and I can't say I disagree with them on this one. In 2015 alone, the zoo received over 40 citations from the USDA, which is an astounding number. Most were for having injured animals/inadequate vet care.

As for exhibits, here's a promo video they did in 2016, so this is what the place looks like at its absolute best:

They have about 30 mammal species, mostly common roadside stuff - herd of fallow deer, capuchins, coati, tamarins, ruffed lemurs, etc. The main notables are mandrill, bontebok, beisa, and asiatic black bear.
 
TinoPup said:
In 2015 alone, the zoo received over 40 citations from the USDA, which is an astounding number. Most were for having injured animals/inadequate vet care.
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How has this place had that many and stay open!?! Most Wisconsin roadside zoos get an average of less than one per year, for reference for everyone else. Special Memories claimed to have none, ever.
 
birdsandbats said:
How has this place had that many and stay open!?! Most Wisconsin roadside zoos get an average of less than one per year, for reference for everyone else. Special Memories claimed to have none, ever.
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I honestly don't know. It appears to have shut down briefly in 2017, but opened right back up. Even places like Wynnewood haven't had that many citations over the years.

Special Memories had 11 over the last 5 years.
 
birdsandbats said:
How has this place had that many and stay open!?! Most Wisconsin roadside zoos get an average of less than one per year, for reference for everyone else. Special Memories claimed to have none, ever.
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The USDA mystifies me. It doesn't take a genius to look at some of their enclosures and realize that they aren't suitable for animals.
 
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