Wisp O' Mist
Well-Known Member
Just out of curiosity... What facilities are those?
I know TES is AZA-certified and that Zoo Miami has temporarily housed elephants for individuals before, but those are the only two places that spring to my mind.
Natural Bridge Zoo Natural Bridge Zoo News
- Thread starter Smaggledagle
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Just out of curiosity... What facilities are those?
I know TES is AZA-certified and that Zoo Miami has temporarily housed elephants for individuals before, but those are the only two places that spring to my mind.
I didn't realize you were only talking about the elephant, I thought you were saying you didn't think any of the animals would end up in zoos, sorry. As for whether any animals from there can actually benefit AZA populations, it depends on how much is known about the individuals. If these are unpedigreed individuals, it could be irresponsible to incorporate them into an AZA population. We also don't know anything about the animals, a number of them could be non-reproductive, geriatric, or otherwise not good candidates. At this time, not much is known so it's best just to keep an open mind and hope the people in charge are making the right decisions for these individual animals.
Point Defiance and Phoenix. I doubt she will go to either one because they seem to be phasing elephants out and both only have lone females. Bronx also has Patti who killed Grumpy, but they are 100% not going there.
The investigation stemmed from two undercover agents, one of which was a whistleblower.
COURT DOCUMENTS: Findings of Natural Bridge Zoo raid
Additionally, 95 live animals were confiscated - monkeys, birds, and reptiles included. A wide range of deceased animals were also recovered, including a white Bengal tiger who was euthanized that day.
https://wset.com/news/local/search-...e-county-general-district-court-december-2023
COURT DOCUMENTS: Findings of Natural Bridge Zoo raid
Additionally, 95 live animals were confiscated - monkeys, birds, and reptiles included. A wide range of deceased animals were also recovered, including a white Bengal tiger who was euthanized that day.
https://wset.com/news/local/search-...e-county-general-district-court-december-2023
Guessing those parts weren't for anything legal... there was a separate warrant executed at the zoo the next day that was just for drugs, especially ketamine and gabapentin.
TheGytrash
Well-Known Member
I remember watching undercover footage from this zoo quite a few years ago, which was really hard to watch and disturbing. But the zoo didn't shut down then, so I'm wondering if they could have found something even worse or if it was just bureaucratic red tape.
I went to this place while on vacation as a kid and the conditions really upset me. It was that incident that made me become interested in researching zoos and reading about them in advance instead of just going because we saw a billboard or flyer for a zoo. The parts that most stood out to me as wrong were obviously sick/injured animals in the petting zoo area, but the small bare cages for large animals like bears gave me the heebie-jeebies, too.
I'm confused...
It's clear, from the information presented, that this was a place which badly needed to be shut down, but their USDA APHIS inspection reports never showed anything beyond a single, non-critical, entry. How the blazes did they keep the inspectors in the dark, if conditions were truly as bad as represented?
It's clear, from the information presented, that this was a place which badly needed to be shut down, but their USDA APHIS inspection reports never showed anything beyond a single, non-critical, entry. How the blazes did they keep the inspectors in the dark, if conditions were truly as bad as represented?
How can one access UDA APHIS inspectiën reports? Is there a direct link to these?
APHIS Public Search Tool
Sometimes you have to search by location instead of the name of the place as the name may not be what they advertise with, but the city should bring up every facility in that area. Rarely if the facility has more than one location you may need to search multiple locations/names to find the owner as they may list it with Site numbers nested under one owner.
They've had far, far more than one over the years.
Did they send Asha to Florida in years past for winter? There might be something legal going on there. There's one document that was specifically for seizing her, but "elephant" has been crossed out on it.
Wisp O' Mist
Well-Known Member
Wisp O' Mist
Well-Known Member
Uh... Because her former owners abused her and forced her to preform in their circus? She was reportedly kept chained up most of the time and denied adequate food and water. Her ex-owners were literally arrested for animal cruelty!
She was also found to have multiple serious medical conditions upon arrival to TES.
She has access to a spacious heated barn and a massive habitat at TES. To say nothing of her now being allowed social opportunities with other elephants.
How is any of that not an improvement?
Being in a circus doesn't automatically mean she was abused and most working elephants (and I've been around alot) prefer to have a purpose like rides, performing etc.
I know Noseys vet and he was even allowed to visit her at TES and the only thing he found was a busted tusk from the way she was loaded by so called professionals.
There was also other motivations that lead her going to TES. And I hope she had a heated barn. Tracking the weather when she was first brought up there the lows were in the single digits with highs in the low 30s. Not exactly a climate I'd consider a "sanctuary" for any elephant.
And the opinion of literally the local dog catcher that filed the charge means little to me or any of my colleagues that have worked to improve elephant husbandry over the last several decades.
Again, regarding Asha, why hasn't anything come about her?
I know Noseys vet and he was even allowed to visit her at TES and the only thing he found was a busted tusk from the way she was loaded by so called professionals.
There was also other motivations that lead her going to TES. And I hope she had a heated barn. Tracking the weather when she was first brought up there the lows were in the single digits with highs in the low 30s. Not exactly a climate I'd consider a "sanctuary" for any elephant.
And the opinion of literally the local dog catcher that filed the charge means little to me or any of my colleagues that have worked to improve elephant husbandry over the last several decades.
Again, regarding Asha, why hasn't anything come about her?
Wisp O' Mist
Well-Known Member
But Nosey was abused at her previous home. Her former owner was cited many times for various infractions over the 29 years that he owned her.
Some of which included: Feeding moldy hay, withholding food for "training purposes", exposed pieces of (sharp!) metal in the elephant transportation trailer, failure to provide shade, not keeping adequate food supplies on hand, giving elephant rides to the public despite an expired state license, chaining Nosey so tightly that she was only able to move a few feet side to side, chaining Nosey by two feet so so tightly that she was unable to lay down, inadequate ventilation in the elephant transport trailer, failure to have elephant handlers regularly tested for TB, keeping Nosey in two small of a trailer while on the road, transporting Nosey and a steer with horns in the same trailer, failure to provide permanent housing for Nosey when she was not on the road, improper foot care (Leading Nosey to have an infected toenail), splintered wood in the elephant transport trailer, leaving Nosey unattended or under the care of a child during a performance & failure to provide enrichment to Nosey (Leading her to develop severe stereotypical behaviors).
And those are only some of the citations, I opted to showcase the most grievous ones over listing every single one.
Regardless, I'm doubtful that any wild animal wants to "have a purpose". I would expect that would would prefer to be left alone.
Given that Nosey was being housed in a trailer that was too small for her (Reportedly, she couldn't even turn around in it!) when she was seized, it wouldn't surprise me if the supposed "busted tusk" stemmed from that and not anything that TES did.
Again, Nosey had multiple documented health problems upon arrival to TES.
Such as: Hyperkeratosis, a bacterial skin infection, musculoskeletal stiffness, osteoarthritis, a bacterial urinary tract infection, gastrointestinal parasitism, and dehydration. She was also noted to be malnourished.
She continues to have chronic health problems to this today, including: Osteoarthritis & abnormal ambulation in her right stifle. She also has been exposed to TB, which necessitates her being housed with the only other elephants that TES has who also have TB exposure: The ex-Hawthorn Corporation Asian Elephant herd.
You mean genuine concern for her well being and public safety?
Nosey has always had access to a heated barn at TES. All of TES's elephants are free to come and go as they please from heated barns, always have been. I would expect that helped the facility both receive and retain AZA certification.
TES isn't located in the Appalachian mountains by the way. It's in the middle Tennessee, edging towards western Tennessee IMHO.
Regardless of whether or not the animal control official who set into motion Nosey being seized was familiar with elephants or not, she was duly recognized as the authority on animal welfare in the small town in Alabama that Nosey's circus found itself in when their truck broke down- Stranding them there for weeks.
Ergo, that woman was well within her rights to be concerned about Nosey and the other animals that circus owned. (Four ponies were seized as well, I would like to add.) You don't necessarily have to be an expert on a specific species of animal to recognize that it's being mistreated. It was Nosey's owners responsibility to look after her properly, they failed to do so repeatedly. Frankly, I'm astonished that she wasn't removed from their care much sooner.
The wheels of justice move slowly?
Further complicated by the fact that she was moved to another state before the seizure could take place?
I hope Asha finds a soft place to land, wherever it is at whatever facility is chosen. The documents provided for facilitating the warrant that granted the right to seize all of the other animals of Natural Bridge Zoo more than speak for themselves. Conditions were inadequate at best there, outright dangerous for the animals' health and safety at worst.
For goodness sake, even ZooChat's own media gallery of the facility shows how stark the conditions of the place was.
And that's all without mentioning the copious amounts of drugs that were also seized from the property.
Wisp O' Mist
Well-Known Member
An injunction has been filed
Natural Bridge Zoo owner files injunction to delay hearing
And a new warrant has been issued
New warrant seeks veterinary records connected to zoo investigation
More details including that four giraffes have not been currently seized but may be soon.
Court documents: 89 living, 27 deceased animals seized from Natural Bridge Zoo
Natural Bridge Zoo owner files injunction to delay hearing
And a new warrant has been issued
New warrant seeks veterinary records connected to zoo investigation
More details including that four giraffes have not been currently seized but may be soon.
Court documents: 89 living, 27 deceased animals seized from Natural Bridge Zoo
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