Mineola Zoo breaks silence on federal investigation

MINEOLA – Mini ‘S’ Exotic Zoo is closed to the public now but offered encounters with nearly one-hundred animals. Recently, they have been dealing with federal officials investigating conditions at the zoo. An April inspection by the United States Department of Agriculture revealed what they described as filthy and unsafe conditions for dozens of animals. “There’s always another side to another story,” said Mandy Miller, who works for the zoo.

According to Mini ‘S’ Exotic Zoo, the inspection came after an ex-employee-turned whistleblower alerted advocates about a lack of animal care at the facilities. The USDA conducted an investigation that found several violations at the zoo, including the death of a marmoset who was let out of an enclosure and was then electrocuted in a rat trap. Miller said the death of the animal was due to former employees not doing their job. The report asked for extensive cleaning of enclosures, proper training for employees and enough staff for the amount of animals they keep.

Now, Miller says Smith and the rest of the zoo says they are in constant contact with the USDA with getting the facilities up to the standard for their animals. Miller tells KETK the USDA took none of their animals away but they are working on decreasing the number of exhibits at the zoo.