Feds Cite Miami’s Zoological Wildlife Foundation Over Animal Injury, Death After PETA Complaint

For Immediate Release:
May 14, 2026

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Newly obtained federal records reveal that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cited Zoological Wildlife Foundation (ZWF) in late March for multiple violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act following a complaint filed by PETA earlier that month. PETA asked the agency to put the roadside zoo under the microscope after discovering that a clouded leopard’s leg was amputated after being mauled by another leopard during a forced breeding attempt.

The USDA inspection report dated March 31 documents 10 citations, including a critical citation for failing to separate incompatible animals—leading to the clouded leopard’s leg amputation and the death of a female capybara, who was killed during a different breeding attempt. Inspectors also found repeat violations, including enclosures with excessive rust and sharp metal edges, water bowls filled with algae and debris, and a food freezer contaminated with dead flies and gnats.

PETA points out that ZWF continues to offer public encounters that bring visitors into direct contact with wild animals, a practice already under scrutiny following the recent deaths of at least 55 sloths owned by Sloth World in Orlando. Previous incidents at ZWF include injuries to visitors and workers during hands-on encounters, underscoring the dangers of using wild animals for photo ops and human entertainment.

“In nature, wild animals roam expansive habitats and choose their own partners, but at the shoddy Zoological Wildlife Foundation, they’re confined to barren, rusty enclosures and are injured or killed during reckless forced breeding attempts,” says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Wildlife Advocacy Klayton Rutherford. “PETA is urging the public to stay far away from this roadside zoo and any business that thrusts wild animals into customers’ hands.”

PETA encourages everyone to never pay to touch, feed, or hold wild animals, and to call on Zoological Wildlife Foundation to end its cruel public encounters.

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.