ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, Va. – Natural Bridge Zoo appeared in court on Thursday for post-trial motions, after a decision in March that found that the state was justified in seizing 71 of the 100 animals they took during a search last December.
In court, the zoo’s defense asked for a new trial, claiming that the prosecutor is biased.
Michelle Welch, prosecutor with the Animal Law Unit at the Virginia Attorney General’s office, denied those allegations, and the judge sided with her.
“We don’t work for PETA,” Welch said. “No one from PETA was at the Natural Bridge Zoo search warrant execution.”
The zoo’s defense also asked that the verdict be set aside due to insufficient evidence.
They argued that the Mogensens, the zoo owners, were part of a lawsuit affiliated with the Virginia Animal Owners Alliance against Michelle Welch before the raid at Natural Bridge Zoo even happened. They alleged the search was a move of retaliation.
“They made claims that they were violating the due process rights of animal owners in the Commonwealth of Virginia by the methods by which they were going and seizing animals under this statute and then asking for extortionate amounts of money for costs of care,” Erin Harrigan, one of the zoo’s attorneys said.
The judge has yet to set a bond, or an amount of money the zoo will have to pay for boarding animals since December. He ordered the prosecution to provide affidavits from their rescue partners breaking down the cost of care.
That bond amount will decide whether or not this case is appealed a second time.
The judge will continue hearing that issue and other concerns from the defense for a second day, on June 10 at 9 a.m.
Animals seized from the roadside attraction remain with rescue partners.