Target: Thomas J. Vilsack, United States Secretary of Agriculture
Goal: Demand the USDA do more to protect animals, like the 460 wild tigers, monkeys, and others reportedly abused at the Waccatee Zoo.
The Waccatee Zoo in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina has reportedly been permanently shut down in late September of 2022. Dubbed “the worst roadside zoo in the United States,” this zoo allegedly confined over 460 wild animals to small enclosures and poor conditions. Undercover investigators at the location reported tigers completely missing hair and with curved spines, and monkeys unable to even open their eyes.
Between March 5, 2020, and May 5, 2021, the USDA had fined the Waccatee Zoo for six violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Included among these violations were the alleged failure to provide veterinary care to injured and sick animals and to provide animals with clean and sanitary water receptacles.
Still, the animals were left to suffer in the custody of an apparently irresponsible, money-hungry owner for an additional two years after initial discoveries of the reported abuse and neglect. In addition, the Waccatee Zoo is accused of having long violated the federal Endangered Species Act. A lawsuit filed by PETA alleges that it has received over 150 complaints from the public about this zoo.
Sign this petition to demand the USDA enact more effective policies for confiscating animals from abusive situations and for prosecuting those responsible for inflicting pain upon these amazing creatures.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Secretary Vilsack,
More than two years after initial animal welfare violation reports, the Waccatee Zoo in South Carolina has reportedly been shut down. Owners of this apparently abusive facility had allegedly repeatedly failed to adequately provide animals with basic necessities–such as clean water and veterinary care–and had even been fined by the USDA on several occasions before they eventually closed of their own accord. The USDA was very well aware of the cruelty these animals were reportedly subjected to, and let them suffer for years without ever trying to confiscate the animals or remove the owners’ animal-owning license. Photographs of the animals at the zoo are unspeakably graphic and saddening.
We are asking you, Mr. Vilsack, to demand the USDA do more to protect animals in bad situations, such as the 460 wild tigers, monkeys, and other animals they failed at the Waccatee Zoo.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Nom d’util
