USDA cites Natural Bridge Zoo for bird environments, documentation

This story is part of our ongoing coverage of The Natural Bridge Zoo's legal problems starting with a Dec. 6, 2023 search warrant. To catch up from the beginning, click here.

LEXINGTON – Weeks after the Natural Bridge Zoo’s animal seizure trial, a federal inspection found several deficiencies with the zoo’s records and bird habitats.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, issued a report on March 27, about a month after a verdict was rendered in the Rockbridge County Circuit Court trial.

The mental wellbeing of the zoo animals, and how the environment fosters or inhibits it, was a constant question in both trials.

“The facility does not have a developed and documented environmental enhancement plan for the birds at the facility. Failure to develop and document an environmental enhancement program for birds can negatively impact their health and well-being, causing unnecessary psychological distress.”

This distress can manifest as feather plucking, according to veterinarians that testified during the trial. The evidence included many pictures of birds that plucked all the feathers from their chest.

The report also cites the zoo for not having a current inventory of animals on hand, including records of births and deaths. It explains the zoo “has moved out a large number of animals” but has not updated the overall inventory of animals on hand.

“There is no record on a mutijac born a few weeks ago that went missing the following day,” reads the report, requiring the zoo to correct the issue by April 10.

Defense attorneys for the zoo during the trial often referenced the prosecution’s seizure of veterinary and internal records. The zoo allegedly did not have copies, potentially contributing to the missing records mentioned in the report.

Natural Bridge Zoo has not responded to The News Leader’s request for comment.

The report is available through the USDA public records search tool using Natural Bridge Zoo's Customer ID, 6012863.

Lyra Bordelon (she/her) is the public transparency and justice reporter at The News Leader. Do you have a story tip or feedback? It’s welcome through email to lbordelon@gannett.com. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: USDA cites Natural Bridge Zoo for bird environments, documentation