A post to the park’s Facebook page announced that public access to the privately owned zoo is closed “effectively immediately.”
“Our new park will, at least for the foreseeable future, be a private film set for Tiger King related television content for cable and streaming services,” the post said.
The report of a USDA inspection at Wynnwood found multiple animal welfare violations, including several repeat violations.
Among the violations, inspectors found the only refrigerated storage for animal food was a broken refrigerator truck that zoo officials claimed had recently been fixed. “The inspectors asked for the invoices for the repairs and were handed an invoice for a tractor repair,” the report says.
In the Facebook post, the park claimed it had been targeted by animal rights groups.
“The very agency that has given my facility five consecutive perfect inspections, has now folded to the pressures of PETA and continue to make false accusations against me,” the post read.
Closing the park to the public will mean the animals are “no longer be subject to USDA inspections or PETA spies,” the post said.
Brittany Peet, PETA Foundation’s deputy general counsel for captive animal law enforcement, said in a statement that permanent revocation of Lowe’s license should be the next step.
“PETA looks forward to seeing every one of the long-suffering animals at the G.W. Zoo be transferred to an appropriate facility,” Peet wrote.