PETA’s Statement on Lion Attack at Dallas Zoo

For Immediate Release:
November 19, 2013

Contact:
PETA Media Department 202-483-7382

In the wild, lions will roam for miles every day, but in captivity, they’re denied the opportunity to wander, choose a mate, raise families, hunt for food, and—importantly—flee from conflict. The constant stress of captivity can cause psychosis in wild animals, leading to unnatural behavior, such as bar-biting, self-mutilation, and pacing as well as increased aggression. PETA is submitting a records request to the Dallas Zoo to determine whether these animals exhibited prior signs of incompatibility. If they did, the Dallas Zoo may again have to answer for violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. In the last five years, the zoo has racked up violations for allowing a spider monkey, a chimpanzee, and a gorilla to escape from their enclosures as well as for causing the death of a zebra, who ran headlong into the wall of his enclosure, breaking his neck.