Infamous Indiana Roadside Zoo Shut Down For Beating Animals
The zoo’s hundred-plus violations include bludgeoning a leopard to death with a baseball bat.
Monkeys being swung by their tails, and a leopard beat to death with a baseball bat are among the over-120 violations levelled against Timothy Stark and his organization, Wildlife in Need.
Now, Stark’s infamous roadside zoo has been shut down by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
An USDA administrative judge ruled that Stark’s facility in Indiana “willfully violated the AWA (Animal Welfare Act) on multiple occasions”. The judge added that “the gravity of such violations was great.”
Wildlife in Need now must pay $340,000 in fines, and its organization’s federal license has been revoked.
In addition to claims of animal abuse, Stark himself has been alleged to have abused and threatened government officials, as well as falsifying veterinary documents. His behaviour towards animals has been well documented, including a viral video that shows Stark terrorizing a young bear at a wildlife show.
Campaign group PETA report that Stark and Wildlife in Need are “well known” to animal advocates and the USDA. During 2012 and 2016, the USDA filed a lawsuit alleging over 120 willful violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
“These include when Stark instructed patrons to hit big-cat cubs during “Tiger Baby Playtime” events, swung and tossed monkeys by their tails and hips during public encounters, and bludgeoned a leopard to death with a baseball bat,” PETA revealed.
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