West Virginia Zoo Explained

Zoo Name:	West Virginia Zoo
Location:	Kingwood, West Virginia, United States
Date Opened:	1993
Num Species:	30+

Hovatter's Wildlife Zoo, also known as the West Virginia Zoo, is a zoo in Kingwood, West Virginia. The zoo is open seasonally from April to October, and on weekends in November. Opening and closing dates vary from year to year.

Animals at the zoo include

• African lions^[1]
• Bengal tigers (Orange and White)
• leopards (spotted and black)
• bobcats
• chimpanzees^[2]
• olive baboons
• grivet monkeys
• capuchin (Black and White)
• Patas monkeys
• Ring-tailed lemurs
• rheas
• Aoudad
• Emu
• Camels (dromedary)^[3]
• African pygmy goats
• Miniature donkeys
• Pot-bellied pigs
• rattlesnakes (Diamondback)
• budgerigars
• turtles (Sulcata tortoise)
• Spotted hyena
• Patagonian cavy
• reticulated giraffes^[4]
• Llama
• Watusi
• Chapman's zebra
• Scarlet macaw
• Domestic turkey
• Fennec Fox
• Peacock
• Domestic duck
• Wolf
• Domestic rabbit
• Gibbon
• Domestic horse
• Eurasian eagle-owl
• Red kangaroo
• American alligator
• Serval
• Grizzly bear^[5]
• African crested porcupines
• Wildebeest
• Wallaby
• Eland
• Nilgai
• scimitar-horned oryx
• Kookaburra
• Coyote
• Prevost's squirrel
• Elk
• Muntjac
• Syrian brown bear
• Sitatunga
• Mallard duck
• Greater kudu
• Fallow deer
• Cotton-top tamarin
• Bactrian camel
• Warthog
• Japanese macaque

Past animals

• Whitetail deer
• Wild boar
• Capybara
• Bison
• Raccoon
• Prairie dog
• Sumatran tiger
• Cougar
• Asian black bear
• Spider monkey
• Asian Elephants

Tiger cub mishandling

In 2015, West Virginia Zoo took tiger cubs from their mother at birth and showed them off behind a gift shop counter at two to three weeks old, before the tiger cubs had been vaccinated. West Virginia Zoo also used the tiger cubs for photo shoots. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service cited West Virginia Zoo for exposing the tiger cubs to the public before their immune protection had sufficiently developed to protect them against disease, risking their health and making the zoo noncompliant with the Animal Welfare Act.^{[6] [7]}

Notes and References

1. Conaway, Danielle (August 5, 2008). "Lion cub at Preston zoo could be rare". Charleston Daily Mail (Charleston, West Virginia). p. P2A.
2. "Wildlife zoo has new resident". The Dominion Post (Morgantown, West Virginia). May 24, 2011.
3. Gay, Bob (July 18, 2013). "Giraffe, camel companion join zoo menagerie". The Dominion Post (Morgantown, West Virginia).
4. Gay, Bob (May 4, 2012). "Zack the giraffe major attraction at local zoo". The Dominion Post (Morgantown, West Virginia).
5. Lang, Alex (March 7, 2010). "Enthusiasts show up for outdoors show: Baby animals, demonstrations part of event". The Dominion Post (Morgantown, West Virginia).
6. Mattise, Jonathan (July 6, 2015). "USDA cites West Virginia zoo for handling of tiger cubs". Associated Press.
7. Beard, David (August 29, 2015). "Kingwood zoo found out of compliance with AWA law". The Dominion Post (Morgantown, West Virginia).