PETA has fired off a letter to Waccatee Zoo owner Kathleen Futrell seeking answers regarding Lila, an ailing bald tiger who was the subject of a PETA campaign because of her ill health and is now confirmed dead.
We’re calling on Waccatee to release Lila’s veterinary records and surrender the remaining big cats it imprisons to accredited sanctuaries, where they can finally receive the proper care that they’ve long been denied.
Said PETA’s Press Release: Nothing can undo Lila’s suffering, but PETA is calling on the seedy roadside zoo to release the other big cats and end theirs.
It’s not just PETA, however, local news outlets including MyHorryNews, as well as, WBTW TV 13 have written about the controversial zoo.
Locals continue to protest the roadside zoo as well.
The NETFLIX series “The Tiger King” also brought high profile attention to this issue.
Throughout 2020, PETA submitted eight additional complaints to the USDA, each documenting how Lila’s condition was continuing to deteriorate. She was frequently seen pacing back and forth in her dismal enclosure, a sign of psychological distress. In December 2020, we notified both the USDA and local animal control officials in South Carolina that Lila was completely bald, had lost a significant amount of weight, and had poor muscle tone.
Said PETA, “Neither entity took meaningful action, and now Lila is dead.“