Attractions to Avoid

Roadside Animal Menageries

Roadside zoos run a deplorable gamut from small menageries where animals are kept in barren cages constructed of concrete and metal bars to larger collections with animals confined to compounds surrounded by chain-link fencing. They are usually privately owned and occasionally accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). The focus is on amusing customers rather than on meeting the needs of the animals.

For years, an Illinois menagerie called Land o' Lorin crammed more than 100 animals, including lions, bears, tigers, and primates, into small cages in the owner's 5-acre backyard. On numerous occasions before it shut down, U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors found dead and dying animals, a lack of veterinary care, filthy conditions, poorly maintained cages, insufficient shelter and space, and failure to provide food and water. Many of the animals exhibited "stereotypic" (neurotic) behavior. A 6-year-old bobcat who, out of madness, had spent his entire life walking counter-clockwise in his tiny cell, continued to pace in a 4-foot circle long after his rescue. A river otter previously provided with only a bathtub was unable to swim when he was sent to a more spacious facility.

The AZA-accredited Wildlife World Zoo, which features 1,400 animals "up close and personal" and boasts "Arizona's largest collection of exotics," has a dismal record of neglect. During several inspections in 1998 and 1999, USDA inspectors found numerous deaths, animals in desperate need of veterinary care, and filthy enclosures. The emaciated carcass of an antelope who had died at least 36 hours earlier was discovered in a pasture. A llama without shelter from the sun died of heatstroke. Three blackbucks and an emaciated zebra, frightened by storms and unable to escape to safety, died from running into fences. A camel, a llama, an antelope, a zebra, and a gazelle died from trauma-related injuries caused by being housed with incompatible animals. A dik-dik (small antelope) with a broken mandible that prevented him from eating died without medical care. The privately owned facility also sells surplus animals to a dealer who supplies hunting ranches.