KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Story courtesy of WVLT) – Zoo Knoxville says it is operating within federal law after an animal advocate said he filed a complaint with federal wildlife officials over photos showing visitors handling the zoo’s lion cub.
Jeff Kremer, a retired animal advocate and former zoo professional, said he filed complaints with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture after seeing photos on social media showing visitors holding and touching the zoo’s infant lion cub.
The photos, posted publicly on Facebook in April, show several visitors with the cub, including Tennessee State Senator Richard Briggs. One image shows a visitor placing her finger inside the cub’s mouth. That same visitor wrote in a Facebook post that she could say she had been bitten by a lion.
Kremer said the interactions violate the Big Cat Public Safety Act, a federal law passed in December 2022 that prohibits public contact with big cats and requires them to be kept at least 15 feet from the public during exhibition unless there is a permanent barrier.
“My jaw dropped because I’ve been missing my retirement. I work on this this advocacy seven days a week, and and ever since the Big Cat Public Safety Act was passed, I can tell you that I have not not encountered an AZA accredited zoo engaged in any such activity that violated the law,” Kremer said. “I mean, they just didn’t do it. They supported the bill.”
Zoo Knoxville issued the following statement to WVLT News in response to the concerns:
The cub was born Feb. 17. Another cub that was born did not survive.
Kremer said his goal is not to see the zoo prosecuted, but to see behavior change.
“My goal as an advocate is not to see an organization or an individual prosecuted,” Kremer said. “My goal as an advocate is to see behavior change, so if there’s actions taking place that are detrimental to animals or a risk to human safety, I just want people to change their habits.”
Kremer added he wants to see the zoo acknowledge what happened and put policies in place to prevent it from happening again.
“What I would like to see from Zoo Knoxville, the Audubon Zoo and the AZA is to say ‘Listen, it happened. It was a mistake; here are the policies and procedures we put in place to make sure it never happens again’, and we all move on,” Kremer said.
Kremer said if violations are not addressed, it could set a precedent that makes it harder to enforce the law against other facilities.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the national accreditation body that certifies Zoo Knoxville, said it has received the information and is in touch with its members.
“The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has received this information and is in touch with our members concerning this matter,” the AZA said in a statement. “Zoo Knoxville has issued a clear statement addressing the concerns. AZA and our members were among the strongest supporters in securing enactment of the Big Cat Public Safety Act.”
The AZA did not provide additional comment.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it cannot directly provide complaint information but that it can be obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. WVLT filed that request.
Senator Briggs has no comment at this time.
Social media photos of public interaction with Zoo Knoxville lion cub (WVLT)
