PETA Statement re Indictments Against Current, Former Owner-Operators of Natural Bridge Zoo

For Immediate Release:
February 5, 2026

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Court records just obtained by PETA reveal that Natural Bridge Zoo owner Gretchen “Sasha” Mogensen, former facility owner-operators Deborah L. and Karl E. Mogensen, former facility attending veterinarian Dr. Ashley F. Spencer, and former facility elephant trainer Mark E. Easley have been indicted by a Rockbridge County grand jury on a total of 55 counts of torturing, overdriving or cruelty to animals, and a total of eight felony counts of forgery of a public record. All three Mogensens were arrested on Tuesday, according to court records, and Gretchen Mogensen apparently remains in custody. The indictments follow decades of citations against the facility and tens of thousands of dollars in civil penalties from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for failing to follow the bare minimum survival standards of care required by the federal Animal Welfare Act. The Attorney General’s Animal Law Unit and Virginia State Police executed a search warrant at Natural Bridge Zoo in December 2023, seizing nearly 100 living animals as well as dead animals and body parts. Custody of 71 of the animals was later awarded to Rockbridge County.

Asha—a solitary elephant who had been chained, forced to stand in her own urine, and jabbed with a sharp bullhook (a steel-tipped weapon used to instill fear in elephants and force them to obey commands)—was found to have been hauled to a roadside zoo in Florida under suspicious circumstances days before law-enforcement officials arrived. A complete timeline of citations and events in the case can be found on PETA’s website, here.

Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch:

PETA applauds these indictments and remains deeply concerned about Asha the elephant, who is feared to be suffering in isolation in yet another decrepit roadside zoo, and the two missing baby giraffes believed to have been torn away from their mothers—who were among the dozens of animals whom a judge and jury found were subjected to cruel treatment or deprived of adequate care. PETA thanks the Office of the Attorney General for its years-long pursuit of this case and urges everyone to avoid roadside zoos as if lives depend on it—because they do.

PETA and actor Alicia Silverstone are offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the location of the two missing baby giraffes, who are believed to have been prematurely separated from their mothers and removed from Natural Bridge Zoo shortly after they were born. Custody of their pregnant mothers had been awarded to the county, but roadside zoo manager Gretchen Mogensen recently chose to serve 100 days in jail rather than comply with a court order to disclose the babies’ whereabouts. Anyone with information should contact the Animal Law Unit at 804-786-2071.

The General Assembly is currently considering House Bill 112 (Del. Amy Laufer, HD-55) and Senate Bill 344 (Sen. Jennifer Boysko, SD-38), companion bills that would prohibit the premature separation of baby wild mammals from their mothers prior to the offspring turning 4 months of age, absent medical necessity, as well as prohibiting the intentional breeding of wild mammals of different species, also known as hybridization. Court proceedings and public records reveal that both practices were common at the Natural Bridge Zoo.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.