Animal welfare violations swarm Miami zoo owned by ex-drug kingpin in Tiger King | Miami
An endangered clouded leopard had its leg amputated and a capybara died after failed breeding attempts at a controversial Miami roadside zoo owned by a convicted drug trafficker featured in the Netflix documentary Tiger King.
Federal wildlife inspectors found numerous other violations over a period of March inspection at the Zoological Wildlife Foundation (ZWF), including dilapidated, unsafe or unsafe housing conditions for wild animals, dirty cages, and water and food contaminated with algae and dead insects.
Zoo owner who charges $1,500 per hour for off-site “field tours” showcasing animals including alligators, arctic foxes and ball pythons Mario TabraueA former cocaine trafficker who served 12 years of a 100-year prison sentence on narcotics and racketeering charges in 1989.
Tabraue appeared in the 2020 hit Netflix series Tiger King, which focuses on the murky world of exotic animal trafficking and possible inspiration For the 1983 cult gangster movie Scarface.
Animal welfare groups have renewed calls for the closure of the ZWF following the death of the capybara and the serious injury of female leopard Petra, whose leg was injured by a male who staff tried to mate with her.
“The facility is pursuing profit at the expense of animal welfare, and animals are paying the price with life and limb in this disgusting roadside zoo,” said Klayton Rutherford, director of captive wildlife advocacy for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta). “We have seen many times that animals and people are injured in such enterprises, especially in ZWF.”
A veterinary health officer from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducted an inspection visit on March 30 and cited the January leopard and capybara incidents as critical violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. The law requires that animals housed next to each other or close together must be compatible.
“The clouded leopards were not living together but were brought together for breeding purposes,” medical examiner Danisha Bullock wrote.
“In this instance, the two were in separate enclosures with a common wall and a guillotine door with a gap at the bottom. The licensee believes the female clouded leopard inserted her paw into the male’s enclosure through the gap under the door, and the male clouded leopard then attacked the female’s paw.
“The injury resulted in the female clouded leopard’s entire left leg being amputated.”
Rutherford said ZWF then tried to profit from the incident by posting on social media a video He said Petra, the zoo’s oldest leopard, was with Tabraue and was asking for donations to pay for her vet bill and to build her a new home.
“This former drug lord with a long criminal history essentially runs this zoo where his business model is based on forcing wild animals, mostly baby wild animals, into direct contact with dangerous members of the public,” he said.
“These businesses rely on denying wild animals everything that is natural to them. A facility that offers hands-on encounters with wild animals is an indication that they are not doing what is in the best interest of the animals, but are interested in lining their pockets.”
Bullock wrote that the female capybara was found dead on Jan. 1 in an enclosure she shared with a male for about six weeks, and ZWF hopes the pair will breed.
“The licensee stated that he was 100% certain that the male killed the female while she was attempting to mate,” Bullock wrote. “Animals housed in the same primary enclosure must be compatible. Animals should not be housed near animals that interfere with their health or cause discomfort to them.”
USDA ordered immediate correction to ensure that non-compliant animals are permanently segregated. The agency did not respond to a question about whether a re-audit had been conducted yet.
The Guardian’s email to one of the media contacts listed on the ZWF website was returned as undeliverable. The zoo did not respond to questions sent to two public email addresses.
Rutherford said the ZWF events parallel the recent deaths of dozens of sloths taken from the South American rainforest for display at a planned theme park in Orlando.
“There is no way to ethically run a business like this that gives animals what they need to thrive,” he said.
“These quotes, the closure of Sloth World before it was founded, the closure of the Miami Seaquarium, these are all examples of a larger problem: these businesses are not compatible with animal welfare.”
ZWF has a track record violations and incidentsThis includes injuries to staff and guests. “A”critical quote” It follows an incident in July 2021, four months ago, in which a lion cub over 16 weeks old bit a child.
“It’s hard to trust the USDA, but there’s been a shift in the public’s view of animal welfare in particular in recent years,” Rutherford said.
“As a result of increased public awareness and public pressure, we are seeing a shift in the federal government’s approach to animal welfare, and we are hopeful that this will translate into meaningful change and actual action.”
