Here’s what we know about the animals at the Myrtle Beach area zoo that closed
An Horry County zoo that is closing after 34 years has sent their animals to a North Carolina facility amid a suit by an animal rights group, which has sought to shut it down.
Waccatee Zoological Farm, which is in the Socastee area, is facing a lawsuit by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which alleges the zoo had provided inadequate treatment to more than 460 animals.
The United States Department of Agriculture has also fined the zoo $7,800 for six alleged federal Animal Welfare Act violations.
David Perle, spokesperson for PETA, stated in a press release that eyewitnesses reported that some animals were transported by Zootastic Park in Troutman, North Carolina—which, “like Waccatee, has a history of poor treatment of animals as documented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).”
“Shipping animals from one shabby outfit to the next prolongs their pain, and in this case it blocks PETA from gathering evidence about these animals’ suffering,” said PETA Foundation General Counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet. “This is a shady stunt designed to keep abused animals from receiving the care they desperately need.”
PETA filed an emergency motion seeking a court order that “prohibits further transfers, and requires Waccatee to account for the whereabouts and ownership history of the animals, and imposes sanctions against the notorious outfit.”
PETA cited Zootastic Park near Lake Norman last year for failure to provide animals adequate veterinary care. The release noted that the tails of two squirrels at the facility had been amputated because of apparent “self-trauma.”
The Charlotte Observer reported last year that the federal USDA inspection also revealed maggot wounds in wolves at the zoo. The wolves did not receive any medical attention.
The owner of Zootastic Park, Scottie Brown, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It’s unclear at this time how many animals were transferred to the North Carolina zoo.