.jpg)
Friday afternoon - A judge has ruled that ownership of over half of the animals confiscated from Natural Bridge Zoo last month will be forfeited, on the grounds that they were subject to “cruel or inadequate treatment” at the zoo.
Executing a search warrant on Dec. 6, state troopers, working in conjunction with the Attorney General’s Office, seized over 90 animals. The zoo’s four giraffes were not taken at the time, due to the difficulty of transporting them.
Of the 100 animals currently impounded, 61, including all four giraffes that were seized this month, were forfeited to the county of Rockbridge, which is listed as the legal petitioner in this case.
However, in his ruling, Judge Norman Mooney wrote that, “After careful, and repeated, review of the evidence and exhibits, the court is unable to fairly conclude that there is no reasonable doubt with respect to certain of the animals.”
He determined that there was not enough evidence to show mistreatment of 39 of the animals, including 11 lemurs, over a dozen exotic birds, several reptiles, as well as two donkeys, two llamas, a sheep and a dog, which will therefore be returned to the ownership of Karl and Debbie Mogensen.
The county’s motion that the Mogensens pay back the cost of boarding the animals was taken “under advisement,” and its request for unannounced inspections at the Natural Bridge Zoo for the next five years was denied.
This ruling may be appealed, in which case it will be heard again in circuit court.
More on this story can be found in next week's issue of The News-Gazette.
