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Friday morning - “We are committed to restarting our beloved park, much humbled, greatly improved, and forever hopeful,” said Gretchen Mogensen at a press conference this morning, where she announced that she and her brothers now co-own the Natural Bridge Zoo.
“My brothers and I have now come together to reopen the park. It will be under new management and ownership. The impact of this situation, both personally and financially, cannot be understated,” said Mogensen, the daughter and stepdaughter of former owners Karl and Debbie Mogensen.
“We hope to reinvent the nature of the park with a focus on personal and educational encounter experiences.”
The zoo and its former owners have been at the center of legal battle since December of last year, when the state Attorney General’s Office seized around 100 animals.
It was announced yesterday that the zoo would be reopening in time for Memorial Day weekend, “under new ownership and management.”
“This entire ordeal has been very hard to accept, as we as a family have always loved the animals with whom we have shared our lives,” Mogensen said this morning.
“We hope people will please join us in making this new chapter a success.”
Gretchen Mogensen read from a prepared statement, and did not take questions from reporters.
Thursday - The Natural Bridge Zoo will be reopening under new ownership this Memorial Day weekend.
According to a post on the zoo’s Facebook page Thursday morning, “The park will be operating from a different approach. The facility has gone under new ownership and management. Dramatic changes have been made to introduce a more innovative and interactive experience. Keepers will be present for up close encounters with select species.”
The zoo and its former owners Karl and Debbie Mogensen have been at the center of a legal battle since the state Attorney General’s Office seized over 100 animals on Dec. 6, 2023.
In Rockbridge General District Court in January of this year, Judge Gregory Mooney ruled that that ownership of 61 animals would go to the government, with 39 to return to the zoo.
An appeal was heard in Rockbridge Circuit Court, where a jury verdict returned that ownership of 71 animals given to the county of Rockbridge and 29 to be returned to the zoo.
A final hearing in that case is scheduled for June 10.
No additional information about the new ownership has been released.
The zoo will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. It’s new weekly schedule will be Thursdays through Mondays.
