Animals Rescued from Neglectful Petting Zoo

Tuesday, December 01, 2015

Petting zoos are awful places for animals–especially the one in Montvale, New Jersey, where animals were kept in deplorable conditions, confined to small pens at all times. The petting zoo was created to be a public attraction to a well-known country farm market and grocery that closed its doors in November 2015.

Concerned staff and visitors have been complaining about the conditions that the animals were kept in for years. They lived in filthy pens filled with manure and rotting food with woefully inadequate shelter, no room to run, no grass for grazing and fed an improper diet that led to nutritional deficiencies. The sick animals or lame animals would often be sold for slaughter instead of receiving the veterinary care they desperately needed.

Thankfully several concerned staff who had been pleading for better care for years finally won the remaining animals’ freedom when the market closed its doors. For the first time in their lives, Caesar the steer, Yoyo the donkey, the four goats Brownie, Estella, Oreo, and Noel, Fluffy the lone sheep, and hens Rita and Adrianna, are enjoying the freedom and care they’ve never known. Fluffy is finally with other sheep after being alone for years.

Caesar and Yoyo (the steer and the tiny donkey) are unlikely best friends. Though denied most comforts that make life worth living, they had each other in the small pen where they were kept. Now, even though they have lots of room to roam, the two stay side-by-side for most of the day. Yoyo often nuzzling lovingly on Caesar– even tucking his head under the massive steer’s front leg. They will never be separated— their love for one another is clear!

BEFORE

AFTER