SMITHFIELD, Ill. — Brown’s Oakridge Zoo in Smithfield has announced that the zoo will be closing.
The zoo, around one hour away from Peoria, was featured on the popular Netflix limited series “Tiger King”.
“During quarantine a lot of things changed. Many of you were able to entertain yourselves by watching the Tiger King documentary. While parts of this show are very accurate, others not so much. It has allowed a negative light to be shed on an already very controversial issue.”
The announcement that the zoo is closing its doors was made Friday night on Facebook.
The post on social media states that every animal that arrived and lived in the facility was given unconditional love.
“We have always been transparent with our patrons. Some have a difficult time understanding things. Many of the animals that came to our facility were older, given the chance to live out their lives in a caring environment.”
The Facebook post continued to say despite all of the negative reviews against the zoo from many sites such as 911AnimalAbuse, there are positive experiences.
“This is a PETA group. Nothing but keyboard warriors who spew lies. No facts to back them up.”
Carole Baskin, also a part of the Netflix series “Tiger King”, was said to also have a part in the closure, but no further details were mentioned.
The statement also mentioned that the zoo met all the USDA requirements for keeping and exhibiting animals.
“We have never done anything illegal. We are state and federally licensed and have held numerous other certificates and license through the years.”
At the end of the social media post, the closure of the facility was announced, saying the owner has decided to retire.
“At this time we feel that this is in the best interest of the animals and our family. We again, thank you for your continued support throughout the years and the many friendships.”
WMBD has reached out to the zoo for a comment.
You can find a link to the full post HERE.
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