VIRGINIA – A judge will soon decide whether or not Natural Bridge Zoo will get back nearly 100 animals seized by the state. The investigation has made national headlines, and 10 News has been looking into similar cases and the roadside attraction’s connection to a well-known Netflix series.
Doc Antle, part of the popular Netflix series Tiger King and operator of Myrtle Beach Safari, has a tie to Natural Bridge Zoo.
As 10 News has previously reported, the zoo is currently in a heated court battle with the Commonwealth to get its animals back. The animals were confiscated due to alleged animal abuse and neglect.
Virginia State Police, along with the Attorney General’s office, executed the search and seizure at the zoo on Dec. 6-7.
While no cameras were allowed in the courtroom during the seizure hearing, 10 News took extensive notes.
One witness testified that he was asked by Antle to transport a gibbon, or an ape, to the owner of Natural Bridge Zoo, Karl Mogensen.
Last October, Antle was convicted of two felony counts of wildlife trafficking for illegally purchasing endangered lion cubs in Frederick County for display and profit at his South Carolina zoo. Antle was fined $10,000.
Natural Bridge Zoo isn’t the first zoo that has had animals seized in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Press releases on the Attorney General’s office’s website show in Winchester, Virginia a similar case.
In 2019, more than 100 animals were seized from the Wilson’s Wild Animal Park in a similar investigation, led by Michelle Welch of the Virginia Attorney General’s Animal Law Unit. The owners of the animal park were charged according to the attorney general’s office. Welch has also led the case against the Natural Bridge Zoo. Several veterinarians testified in both cases.
A quick search lists Wilson’s Wild Animal Park as permanently closed.
See more coverage below:
- Original story: Search at Natural Bridge Zoo in Rockbridge County