opinion

Close down Natural Bridge 'Zoo'

There is good news and bad news about the Natural Bridge Zoo.

The good news is that the privately owned "zoo," really a roadside menagerie long under fire by animal lovers and recently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is closed, at least temporarily.

This was one Easter where no one paid admission to a facility that the USDA has cited 44 times this year for violating the Animal Welfare Act. The Roanoke Times reported that federal investigations in January and March found more than 40 animals in need of veterinary care.

The bad news is that owner Karl Mogensen is still trying to reopen and the wheels of justice are turning ever so slowly for the animals that remain under his suspect care.

According to The Roanoke Times, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries issued an annual permit for the facility to exhibit wild animals on March 2, only to suspend it later because of federal inspection violations. On March 10, the USDA found 13 infractions, including some repeat violations. Among the saddest were a lice-infested goat with hair loss, a muntjac with severely overgrown hooves and a camel with a tennis-ball sized swelling on her neck.

On Good Friday, Mogensen's lawyers tried and failed to get a temporary restraining order to reverse the state suspension.

Meanwhile, the federal investigation is ongoing, and the "zoo" still holds a federal license but cannot reopen without the state permit.

We're glad the state and the feds are giving this the attention it deserves. But the violations came to horrifying light in January. How much time must pass before the zoo is shut altogether and not just closed to paying customers?

Mogensen told The Roanoke Times he'd already spent $35,000 trying to fix violations and he cited financial loss as a motivator for opening before Easter. He said the March 10 inspectors "went around and tried to dig up some more" problems.

Nothing Mogensen has said inspires confidence that he can and will make Natural Bridge a safe place for animals. He allowed the abuse and neglect to occur before January and still had gross violations in March.

Enough already. Permanently shut down Natural Bridge Zoo. Find good homes for the animals who suffer there.

Our View represents the majority opinion of the newspaper's editorial board, Roger Watson, president and publisher; David Fritz, executive editor; and Deona Landes Houff, community conversations editor.