It’s been the focus of petitions, protests and investigations but the animal exhibit at Lagoon, featured on the Wild Kingdom Train, continues to house dozens of animals including Bengal tigers, bison, African lions and zebras.

Since 1967, Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington has kept the wild animals on display and has received numerous citations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the animals’ care. Lagoon’s most recent violation of the Animal Welfare Act was in 2018 when a young elk crawled into a neighboring pen where it was attacked by a bison. The elk was subsequently euthanized.

Lagoon spokesperson Adam Leishman said the veterinarians and animal caretakers on staff take pride in the work they do. He said many of the animals have indoor closures and heated outdoor spaces to provide comfort during the cold months.

“I can’t stress enough how much care the animals get from the caretakers here, to make sure that they’re safe and healthy,” he said. “They get excellent nutrition and veterinary-recommended diets. Just because we’re closed in the winter doesn’t mean the care stops. I couldn’t and I wouldn’t say what I’m saying if it wasn’t true.”

Amy Meyer, director of the Utah Animal Rights Coalition, said the Lagoon animals have been on her radar for many years, with people often contacting her with concerns about the animals’ care.

Meyer doesn’t understand why the park’s owners won’t send animals to sanctuaries and close the display for good because she thinks the zoo has to be Lagoon’s biggest public relations nightmare.

“These majestic animals, especially the big cats, live in small concrete enclosures. These big cats are some of the hardest animals to have in any sort of captivity, let alone something that has nothing that resembles their natural environment,” Meyer said. “We’ve actually coordinated with some global partners who are committed to helping us get those animals to accredited sanctuaries. If Lagoon ever says the word, we would get them to beautiful sanctuaries.”

Leishman said the park’s owners have never been contacted by wild animal sanctuaries and added the longevity of the wild animal park at Lagoon is a testament to the type of care the animals receive.

The big cats at Lagoon came from a variety of places. The Bengal tiger came from a municipal zoo in the Midwest that lost its funding. The mountain lions were being held illegally in a private home, confiscated by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and placed at Lagoon. The African lion was used for a photo op as a cub. As the lion got older, the owners wanted to get rid of it and Lagoon took it in.

Patrick Craig, executive director of The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colo., said they would be willing to take the big cats from Lagoon. Although he hasn’t contacted the park’s owners directly, the sanctuary has publicly offered to give the cats a home when animal right’s groups have tried to persuade Lagoon to discontinue the display. 

“This establishment has had their wildlife train going since the 1960s and it has a long-established history of never providing adequate enclosures for the animals. It is the number one complaint we receive on a yearly basis, which is saying a lot, given the number of other terrible exhibits that exist in the United States,” Craig said.

He agrees with Meyer that the cats’ enclosures are too small, without the benefit of a natural environment. Big cats often suffer from arthritis and other conditions affecting paws and joints when they are kept on concrete. Stress and boredom have an impact on the cats’ mental health, along with being subjected to the train going past their cages several times a day during the summer. 

Meyer thinks the time has come to close the exhibit as people’s attitudes toward animals held in captivity has evolved over the years. She believes Lagoon could turn the closing of the wild animal park into a positive story, with a happy ending for all.

“If they finally said, ‘You know what, we’re going to shut this down. We started this zoo before we knew what these animals needed and there are good reputable sanctuaries we can send them to. We’re going to shut this down and turn it into something people enjoy’ then the UARC would definitely be going to Lagoon to celebrate and finally ride on the roller coasters.”