Fairfax County Police have charged the director of the with animal cruelty and improper possession of a controlled substance after an investigation into a wallaby's death at the zoo.
Meghan Mogensen, 26, of Silver Spring, MD, was arrested on Friday, police said.
The investigation into the
Animal Control Officers were alerted in January to a situation at the facility, at 1228 Hunter Mill Road in Vienna, after an employee complained of suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of an adult wallaby.
On Jan. 26, officers opened an investigation relating to allegations of improper treatment of injured animals and improper use of euthanasia drugs. A search warrant was executed on Feb. 16.
According to the search warrant, an employee told a police 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 zoo director told police she euthanized the wallaby by injection with a drug called Beauthanasia and the animal was disposed of properly. However, police said earlier the Reston Zoo does not have the training and certification to do that.
Zoo employees could not be reached for comment when police released news of the arrest on Sunday.
The investigation is still ongoing, police said. Animal Control Officers are working jointly with the United States Department of Agriculture, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and other entities that ensure proper protocols involving humane animal euthanasia, treatment and practices are used.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail atwww.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637 or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.
further... "The director told police she euthanized the wallaby by injection with a drug called Beauthanasia and the animal was disposed of properly. However, police said earlier the Reston Zoo does not have the training and certification to do that." So yes - the animal appears to have been suffering. And for everyone getting up in arms about someone killing a helpless animal...would you rather it suffered? or, if sick, spread the ailment to other animals at the zoo? That being said - proper certification is certainly important, but I would be surprised if improper certification is the reason for the emotional responses I have seen to this story. Obviously a zoo should have a vet on staff, and the vet should be properly certified. Bottom line - keep in mind the allegations do not involve some crazy woman putting animals down for fun. It's just a crazy woman in possession of controlled substances without the authority to administer them. :)
I hope Karen can get a copy of the investigation and post it. However my gut is saying this entire mess stinks to the high heavens. Way too much conflicting information in this saga and I hope and pray the truth be told. What is clear if they made an arrest now the burden is upon her to prove otherwise.
I couldn't agree more! However, we may never know what prompted the director to break the law and euthanize the wallaby without seeking veterinary assistance! Frankly, the entire scenario makes it appear that she was covering up abuse leading to the necessity for treatment or euthanasia, something which will probably be brought out in court. Something is radically wrong when a person not trained in veterinary medicine is in charge of a collection of animals in a zoo setting and who euthanizes any animal without the advice of a licensed veterinarian or at least under veterinary supervision. It just has all the earmarks of someone trying to hide evidence, and it should disturb anyone who cares about living creatures. In other words, allegations of cruelty need to be thoroughly investigated, and the director's behavior looks like she was hiding something. Where there is smoke, sometimes there is fire.
I expect a journalist to report on the facts, not on what she would "imagine" to be true.
It's a shot! Bid deal, why should the zoo have to pay the government money in order to give an animal a shot. I hope the poor girl gets out of this.
Before the cops lay charges and start dragging people into court they better get the facts straight. The animal was sick. And so is our attorneys office.
Just because they didn't pay for a certification to some State Board doesn't mean they were not trained. Adding bureaucracy to every profession is not the answer (see healthcare industry). They are a small business they simply can't afford to hire a full time Vet. It's as simple as that. Now they'll have to close down!
Clearly, the only humane thing to do when dealing with the sick is to get a wallaby-sized bucket and find a dumpster. Don't get me started on the elderly (hint: bigger bucket).
She did the humane thing by giving the injection. Had she let the animal suffer, she would NOT have been arrested. I doubt she regrets giving the injection.