For Immediate Release:
May 18, 2017
Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382
Mobile, Ala. – Below please find our statement from PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet on Mobile Zoo owner Jonathan Hightower’s guilty plea today:
In a win for the animals he once neglected, disgraced longtime animal abuser John Hightower pleaded guilty today to 14 counts of cruelty to animals. PETA has argued for years that conditions at his now-defunct Mobile Zoo constituted such cruelty, and we oversaw the relocation of Joe—a chimpanzee who once plucked out his hair in solitary confinement—as well as three bears who paced endlessly and begged for peanuts on Hightower’s watch. They are all now healthy and happy at reputable sanctuaries.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
