Animals Suffering at Wilson’s Wild Animal Park

Wilson’s Wild Animal Park, a roadside zoo in Winchester, Virginia has various animals: lions, buffaloes, reptiles, bears etc. And they are all suffering! The bears there are confined to a concrete-floored cage, left without water, which is bad anytime, but especially dangerous during summer and the hot weather. They bears were seen panting. One bear was eating water- and urine-soaked food, and another repeatedly paced inside the enclosure, which is a sign of severe psychological distress.

"The roadside zoo has been repeatedly cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for failing to meet the minimum requirements of the federal Animal Welfare Act. The violations include inadequate caging for dangerous animals, a lack of a veterinary-care program, and failing to provide primates with adequate enrichment. Eyewitnesses also recently observed deer panting in the heat, a goat with nasal discharge, an alpaca with overgrown nails, lynxes and a lion cub confined to enclosures on concrete slabs, a lynx repeatedly pacing, and birds with apparent injuries and missing feathers."

1. There is a petition on Care2 asking the USDA to shut the zoo down. Please sign and share: Bears Are Suffering From Heat Exposure at Roadside Zoo!

2. In the meantime the Wilson’s Wild Animal Park has a phone number you can call, and you can ask them to provide water for the bears and all animals there. To provide a basic necessity. Please remain polite, no matter what their reaction. The number is: 540-662-5715.

On PETA's site there is a sample script you can use:

"I’m calling to urge you to provide the desperately hot bears at your facility with at least natural terrain and an adequate pool and to consider retiring them to a reputable sanctuary. I was appalled to learn that they’re confined to a concrete-floored enclosure and that they’ve been seen panting with no means of escaping the heat. These animals deserve to live in vast habitats where they can exhibit normal types of behavior, such as digging, roaming, swimming, and foraging, rather than spending their lives on a hot concrete slab in enclosures in which they can barely take a few steps in any direction. Thank you for your time and consideration."

But of course you can tell them your message in your own words.

3. You can leave a comment on the tripadvisor page: Wilson's Wild Animal Park

The original article can be found here: Help Bears Suffering in the Heat at Wilson’s Wild Animal Park