Brookhaven Town zoo to close in wake of concerns about budget costs

The Brookhaven Town zoo in Holtsville will gradually close over the next year and its animals relocated to sanctuaries, following complaints from former employees and animal welfare groups that bears and the facility's other inhabitants were mistreated, Town Supervisor Dan Panico announced Monday.

The decision to close the zoo — announced at a town board budget meeting at Brookhaven Town Hall in Farmingville — came nine months after Newsday reported that former staff had documented examples of neglect and filthy conditions for arctic foxes, a Eurasian lynx, goats, roosters and even domestic house cats housed at the facility.

Animal welfare advocates had called on town officials to close the zoo.

Panico, at the meeting and in an interview with Newsday, said the zoo did not fit the town's priorities for serving town residents, adding that closing the facility would save the town about $2 million annually.

"We want to make sure all the animals go to a place where they should be," Panico told Newsday. "I think people's attitudes [about zoos] in general in society have changed. ... It's so far out of the scope of what the town government should be doing, that especially in these budgetary times ... you should dedicate the precious tax dollars you get toward the operation of the building department and parks and things of that nature."

He said the zoo likely will be replaced by a playground that possibly would include a spray park.

'This will save animals'

John Di Leonardo, president of Humane Long Island, an animal welfare group, hailed the move and said he had offered to help the town rehome animals in its care.

"I think it's amazing," Di Leonardo said in an interview following the announcement. "Towns should not be in the zoo business. ... This will save animals, and this will save taxpayers a lot of money."

Panico noted that the zoo closure must be ratified by the town board as part of budget deliberations.

Town board members attending the meeting Monday morning gave no indication they opposed the move.

The zoo, part of the Holtsville Ecology Site, located on a former town landfill and composting center off Buckley Road, is owned by the Town of Brookhaven and operated by the town's highway department. The ecology site, which also includes swimming pools and picnic areas, will remain open.

Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro called the zoo's closing "a loss," but said it needed more than $2 million in repairs and security upgrades.

“I’m very saddened that we will not be able to continue the operation of the facility,” he said in a phone interview. “But I do understand that the cost associated with operating the facility has continued to rise over the years.”

The zoo is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Newsday had previously reported. The AZA requires members to adhere to certain standards of animal welfare and veterinary care and mandates the institution engage in field conservation efforts.

Zoo's problems documented

Former caretakers documented a wide range of problems, including pens they said were too small, poorly maintained and infrequently cleaned, Newsday reported. Some animals were subjected to loud music and shouting from large camp groups, they said.

Panico largely had defended the zoo but requested an investigation by the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. 

Jessica Chiarello, a licensed rehabilitator at Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center in Hampton Bays, said Monday the zoo's closure is "a huge win," but she said she is concerned about where the animals will be placed.

"We'd love to make sure that these animals are going to reputable sanctuaries," said Chiarello, who has cared for animals that were brought to her from the Holtsville zoo. "The journey really isn't over until the animals are placed in ethical sanctuaries."

Panico told Newsday the town plans to work with advisers to find suitable locations for the animals. He mentioned Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown and Hoyt Farm Nature Preserve in Commack as potential locations.

He said he couldn't estimate precisely how long it will take to relocate animals.

"I don't think that we will need a tremendous amount of time, but we will take all the time we need to do it correctly," Panico said. 

The employment status of the zoo's three employees was undetermined, he said.

Di Leonardo said he and other animal welfare experts were ready to help if needed.

"I could start today," he said. "I could get those domestics out. I could get those reptiles out. I could get the rabbits out today."  

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.com,tracy.tullis@newsday.comCarlMacGowan,

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.