One of the 'worst roadside zoos in America,' which kept a tiger that was so malnourished its bones were visible, is closing after a legal battle

• PETA sued what it described as "one of the worst roadside zoos in America," located in South Carolina.
• The charity reached a settlement with the zoo, which means it will close its doors forever.
• The lawsuit accused the zoo of depriving animals of water, food, space, and veterinary care.

A lawsuit brought by PETA against a roadside zoo in South Carolina that exhibited emaciated animals has ended in a settlement that means Waccatee Zoological Farm will close for good.

Under the terms of the settlement, the operators of the zoo in Myrtle Beach will also be banned from owning or exhibiting wild or exotic animals, breeding domestic animals for profit, or working or volunteering at any other roadside zoos, PETA said in a news release last Thursday.

PETA sued the zoo in April last year. The settlement was reached on August 4, though the details of it only became public late last week.

Reese Boyd III, an attorney for Waccatee Zoological Farm's owner and operators, told The Washington Post the defendants settled due to the cost of litigation and confirmed the settlement's terms. 

However, they deny PETA's allegations, and the settlement didn't include any admission of wrongdoing, he said.

Insider contacted the zoo's legal representatives for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

PETA said a tiger was amaciated and some lemurs had masses on their chests

In PETA's complaint against Waccatee Zoological Farm, the animal rights charity alleged that the facility was "one of the worst roadside zoos in America."

It accused the zoo and its operators of depriving the more than 460 animals of adequate food, water, shelter, and veterinary care. 

The complaint cited several examples of alleged animal neglect, including that a tiger called Lila, who died in late 2020 or early 2021, was so severely emaciated that her skeleton was visible through her skin.

Photos included in court documents show a hairless tiger that PETA said was Lila, whose ribcage was visible.

According to the complaint, some lemurs had "abnormal" masses on their chests and bellies, indicating that they failed to receive adequate veterinary care. It also said in the complaint that one tortoise had a deformed and split shell.

Photos included in court documents also appear to show animals at the zoo with ulcerated lesions.

In February last year, the US Department of Agriculture issued the owner of the zoo a citation and a penalty of $7,800 for multiple alleged violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, citing the conditions of the animals and the enclosures, according to the complaint.

The charity sued after it received more than 150 complaints from members of the public, according to the complaint. Two members of the public, both from South Carolina, joined PETA in the lawsuit.

In December, months after the lawsuit was filed, the charity alleged in an emergency motion that the zoo was secretly transferring animals to another roadside zoo in North Carolina.

The charity said in the motion that it had hindered PETA's ability to collect evidence about the animals' treatment.

PETA managed to rescue some captive animals that had remained at Waccatee, with the charity transferring them to The Wild Animal Refuge in Colorado, it said in a news release published in May this year.

PETA's general counsel for captive-animal law enforcement, Brittany Peet, said in a statement Thursday that the survivors are now "thriving in their new sanctuary home."

She added: "This victory blocks Waccatee's operators from ever again mistreating wild animals as they did for decades."