Animals Escape Cedar Point Petting Zoo for Third Time in One Year; PETA Calls on Feds to Investigate

For Immediate Release:
May 13, 2025

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Following the recent escape of three llamas from their enclosure at Cedar Point Amusement Park—the third time animals have broken loose and bolted through the park in less than one year—PETA sent a letter today to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), calling on the agency to launch an immediate investigation into Cedar Point “petting zoo” operator Sally Powell and her business, Honey Hill Farm, and to hold her and any other responsible parties accountable to the fullest extent of the law. PETA is also asking the agency to ensure that the llamas are thoroughly examined for injuries that they may have sustained during their escape—during which they came perilously close to a train running through the amusement park.

PETA points out that there was no staff member present during the escape to protect the animals from harm, in apparent violation of federal animal welfare laws. After the escape of two camels at the park last June—and the escape of more than a dozen goats just days later—Powell was cited for failing to have enough employees to safely monitor public contact with animals and maintain secure enclosures, violations that appear to have gone uncorrected.

“As if it weren’t already obvious that animals shouldn’t be confined next to roaring rollercoasters, the pattern of incompetence on display at Cedar Point makes it clear this ramshackle ‘petting zoo’ needs to go,” says PETA Foundation Senior Director of Captive Wildlife Debbie Metzler. “PETA is calling on federal authorities to investigate and hold this exploitative operation accountable before another jailbreak leads to injured animals or visitors.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—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.

PETA’s letter to the USDA follows.

May 12, 2025

Sarah Helming

Deputy Administrator

USDA/APHIS/Animal Care

Re:      Request for Immediate Investigation of Apparent Animal Welfare Act Violations by Sally Powell, dba Honey Hill Farm (License No. 61-C-0170)

Dear Deputy Administrator Helming:

I am writing to request an urgent investigation of Sally Powell, dba Honey Hill Farm (License No. 61-C-0170) for apparent Animal Welfare Act (AWA) violations involving the escape of three animals on May 9. According to a local news article, the three llamas (referred to as alpacas) escaped during routine cleaning and ran dangerously close to a train inside the Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio. (See Video 1.) There was no staff member present in order to protect the animals from harm, in apparent violation of 9 C.F.R. § 2.131(d)(2). 

Last year, animals escaped from this exhibit twice (see Complaint No. AC24-0701). In response to these incidents, the USDA cited Powell on June 17, 2024, for failing to provide adequate public barriers, failing to have an adequate number of attendants present during periods of public contact, and failing to maintain enclosures in good repair. It appears that these violations remain uncorrected and that Powell is continuing to exhibit animals in a manner that fails to comply with 9 C.F.R. § 2.131(c)(1), jeopardizing the safety, health, and well-being of the animals and general viewing public. Powell appears to have further violated the AWA by failing to secure the llamas/alpacas in accordance with 9 C.F.R. § 3.125(a), putting them at risk of severe injury.

Please immediately ensure that these animals are thoroughly examined for injuries they may have sustained during their escape. Please also ensure all animals exhibited by Powell at Cedar Point Amusement Park are provided with adequate veterinary care, as well as sufficient food, water, shelter, and that they are otherwise handled in accordance with the AWA. Please hold the licensee and any other responsible parties fully accountable for any and all violations that you discover during your investigation.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Please inform me of the complaint number that your agency assigns to this correspondence.

Very truly yours,

Debbie Metzler, M.S.

Senior Director of Captive Wildlife

Captive Animal Law Enforcement