Cruelty Complaint Leads to Reston Zoo Search

The Reston Zoo is under investigation after an employee told police the zoo director drowned a sick wallaby as a means of euthanasia.

Channel 9 reports that on Thursday, Fairfax County Police executed a search warrant after the employee told the officer he had put the wallaby (similar to a small kangaroo) in a crate. He later observed the empty crate next to a water spigot with a five gallon bucket of water.

The warrant says the employee jumped into a dumpster and found a trash bag containing the dead wallaby.

The director told police she euthanized the wallaby by injection with a drug called Beauthanasia and the animal was disposed of properly. But the zoo could also be in trouble for that as police said the Reston Zoo does not have the training and certification to do so.

No charges have been filed.