Va. General Assembly Advances Bills to Protect Captive Baby Animals and Their Mothers

For Immediate Release:
February 10, 2026

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Today, the Virginia General Assembly took a step toward ending some of the worst abuses in the captive wildlife trade by advancing two PETA-supported animal protection bills from the House and Senate floors. Senate Bill 344 (which passed yesterday by a vote of 26-14) and House Bill 112 (which passed today by a vote of 71-27) would ban the premature separation of baby wild mammals born in captivity from their mothers before four months of age—absent medical necessity—and prohibit the intentional breeding of wild mammals of different species, a dangerous practice known as hybridization.

Introduced by Senator Jennifer Boysko (SD-38) and Delegate Amy Laufer (HD-55), respectively, the legislation seeks to address cruel practices such as those exposed at the notorious Natural Bridge Zoo in Rockbridge County, which has a decades-long history of selling prematurely separated baby animals—including a 3-day-old capuchin monkey and more than a dozen infant giraffes under 8 weeks old—to other roadside zoos and animal dealers across the country. Natural Bridge Zoo also engaged in hybridization, a reckless practice that often results in offspring who have shortened life expectancies and a heightened risk of suffering from neurological disorders, physical deformities, and debilitating diseases.

“We’ve been working for several years to stop the abuse and exploitation of animals in unaccredited zoo settings that sell babies for massive profits,” says Senator Boysko. “My bill will prevent the premature separation of captive mammalian animals and prohibit their intentional hybridization.”

“I am so proud to patron HB 112 and take a stance against irresponsible and unethical animal welfare practices,” says Delegate Laufer. “HB 112 will eliminate bad actors in this field and establish a clear foundation for proper animal care and treatment.”

“At unaccredited roadside menageries like the Natural Bridge Zoo, infant animals are prematurely separated from their mothers when they’re only days, weeks, or even hours old so that they can be sold off and shipped out,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA thanks Senator Boysko and Delegate Laufer for leading the effort to ban this abhorrent practice and urges Virginians to contact their legislators and urge them to vote ‘Yes’ on protections for captive wild animals.”

Similar legislation sponsored by Sen. Boysko passed both chambers last year but was ultimately vetoed by then-Governor Glenn Youngkin. Within days of the veto, two infant giraffes born at the Natural Bridge Zoo vanished—and are still missing.

Last week, Natural Bridge Zoo owner Gretchen Mogensen, along with former owner-operators Deborah L. and Karl E. Mogensen (father of Gretchen), former facility attending veterinarian Dr. Ashley F. Spencer, and former handler of Asha the elephant Mark E. Easley, were indicted by a Rockbridge County grand jury on a total of 55 counts of torturing, overdriving or cruelty to animals, and a total of eight felony counts of forgery of a public record.

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.