ROCKBRIDGE CO., Va. – There’s a new twist in the years-long legal saga involving the Natural Bridge Zoo and the Attorney General’s Animal Law Unit. Saturday, a lawyer representing zoo owner Gretchen Mogensen and former owners Karl and Debbie Mogensen filed a lawsuit in Rockbridge County District Court alleging a slew of civil rights violations made by the state over the past few years.
The suit names nine defendants, including the Virginia Attorney General’s office, Virginia State Police (VSP), Rockbridge County and Virginia Animal Fighting Task Force.
The allegations span almost two years long during the state’s investigation into the zoo’s practices from December of 2023 to October 2025. The allegations include deprivations of constitutional rights under color of law, conspiracy to interfere with civil rights through witness intimidation, evidence manipulation, and retaliatory proceedings and failure to prevent such conspiratorial harms despite knowledge and authority to intervene.
According to court records obtained by 10 News, the family feels as if the initial warrant issued for “the seizure of all animals, alive, dead, unborn, and any record, digital device, and document” was too vague and violated their 4th amendment right protecting against unreasonable search & seizure.
The complaint then goes on to allege Virginia State Police used “non-sworn out-of-county task force members and private volunteers” who seized “items beyond the warrants’ scope” when raiding the Mogensens’ private residence on December 6-7, 2023. During that same period, the complaint alleges VSP coerced Gretchen to surrender her cellphone and passcodes, a move they feel violates the Fifth Amendment protecting against self-incrimination.
In addition to be forced to surrender her cellphone, the complaint alleges Gretchen was forced to surrender her digital property including private communications by a Powhatan County-issued warrant. The communications were then allegedly used to “block (Gretchen’s) testimony”.
Throughout the complaint, questions were also raised over the legality of many of the warrants relating to the case being issued out of Powhatan County. The county is where undercover agents with the State’s Animal Law Unit are originally from.
Gretchen’s testimony also took center stage, being mentioned several times throughout the 15-page-long complaint. It alleges that the prosecutor, Michelle Welch, interfered with several witnesses, claiming Welch “intimidated” one witness and caused them not to testify.
The ever-present giraffe case is also one of the focuses of the suit. The family feels their First Amendment freedom of speech rights were violated after orders from a judge banned the family from speaking about the seizure of the zoo’s giraffes online and live streaming their capture.
The complaint also claims the two giraffe calves, which the state has been seeking for months, are non-existent. Gretchen was ordered to turn over the two calves to the state but failed to do so and was sent to jail for 100 days.
The family is asking for compensatory and punitive damages, injunctive relief, and attorney fees & costs.
The defendants listed in the suit have not yet commented. This is a breaking story and will be updated here as more information is released.
Here is a full timeline of the legal challenges Natural Bridge Zoo and its owners have faced:
- 2014: Humane society of the United States conducts a 114-day investigation of the Natural bridge Zoo (NBZ). It uncovers several acts of “horrendous cruelty and extreme neglect.” The zoo is fined $41,500 by the USDA.
- March-October 2023: A confidential informant working with the state is employed at NBZ. During their employment, they notice several animals living in “substandard conditions”
- December 6-8, 2023: Virginia State Police raid the zoo. 95 animals are seized as well as some deceased animals and animal parts. Zeus the tiger is euthanized during the raid at the recommendation of a vet. He’s later found to have been suffering from cancer. Zoo owners consent to the euthanization.
- December 20th, 2023: Natural Bridge Zoo owners first appear in court for a seizure hearing. The hearing is set to continued until January 5th.
- January 9th, 2024: After the hearing was postponed, veterinarians take the stand to justify the seizure of each animal. They claim the animals were sick, injured or not receiving proper care. The defense claims other vets hired by the state disagreed with them.
- January 10, 2025: Zoo attorneys bring several witnesses in to testify that the zoo’s animals were not cruelly treated.
- January 19th, 2024: A judge finds that 60 of the 95 animals seized will stay with the state and orders the removal of 4 giraffes. The zoo will get 39 animals back from the state. The zoo’s attorney appeals in an attempt to get the other 60 animals back.
- February 1st, 2024: A court rules that zoo owners must pay the county $45,563.46 for the cost of care for the animals that were seized. The county is also granted the right to make unannounced inspections at the zoo for the next 6 months to check on the 4 giraffes who remain there.
- February 14, 2024: Both parties meet in court as both appeal a ruling from January regarding custody of the animals.
- February 26, 2024: A jury trial begins to determine the fate of the animals seized from the zoo. It will last 6 days.
- March 5, 2024: A jury decides the state was justified in taking 71 of the animals taken during the raid.
- April 4th, 2024: Zoo owners appear in court asking for a new trial, claiming the prosecutor was biased. This claim is denied by the attorney general’s office.
- May 24, 2024: Natural Bridge Zoo announces owners Karl and Debbie Mogensen will transfer ownership to Karl’s daughter Gretchen and her brothers.
- October 2024: Jeffery the giraffe is removed from the zoo.
- February 2025: Investigators find two giraffes to be pregnant during a random inspection of the zoo.
- April 2025: During a second random inspection, zoo officials find evidence that the previously pregnant giraffes have given birth. One giraffe is allegedly seen with afterbirth on its tail. The calves are nowhere to be found.
- May 19, 2025: Valentine the giraffe is removed from the zoo by the Virginia Animal Law Unit. Zoo owners live stream the event, a violation of a previous motion. Valentine is taken to Georgia Safari Park.
- May 22, 2025: A third giraffe is seized from the zoo.
- July 2, 2025: Gretchen and Karl Mogensen are found guilty of contempt of court. It comes after Gretchen live streamed giraffe being seized and Karl allegedly threatened state officials.
- July 24, 2025: An investigation reveals Valentine the giraffe died while being transported from the zoo. A criminal investigation is opened.
- September 24, 2025: A judge orders Gretchen to surrender the missing giraffe calves to the state within 5 weeks or face 100 days of jail time. She is also fined $1,000.
- October 29. 2025: Gretchen reports to jail to begin serving a 100-day sentence after failing to turn over giraffe calves to the state.
- November 20, 2025: PETA and actress Alicia Silverstone team up to offer $50,000 reward for tips leading to the capture of missing giraffe calves.
- December 7, 2025: Mogensen family files a civil rights lawsuit against various state officials and agencies. Defendants include Virginia State Police, the attorney general’s office, and several investigators and prosecutors involved in the case.