USDA Files Formal Complaint Against the Mobile Zoo

January 1, 2015

The notorious exhibitor Mobile Zoo was hit with a formal complaint from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and is facing legal consequences for its long history of Animal Welfare Act citations, many of which were issued during inspections prompted by PETA complaints. The violations alleged in the federal complaint include multiple failures to provide animals with veterinary care, clean shelter, and safe enclosures. The complaint further states that John Hightower, who operates the facility, “has threatened to shoot animals rather than to provide them with veterinary care, and has made veiled threats to USDA personnel.”