A woman traveled to Mississippi, where she visited the Jackson Zoological Park (Jackson Zoo). During her trip, she posted a video to TikTok blasting the zoo for its seemingly abandoned state. The zoo is open to the public and charges admission. In the video, the woman shows seemingly empty enclosures and says, “Not a single animal in there.”
She also shows a picnic area roped off with yellow police tape and a concession area that appears empty and ransacked. In this, she states, “I don’t think there’s a single [expletive] animal in this zoo.” The video has surpassed 130,000 views and 13,000 likes. The visitor asked the friend accompanying her on the trip, “Where the [expletive] are we?” This was in response to the abandoned concession area. Eventually, the woman did find animals living in the Mississippi zoo.
However, after the visit, she claims to be skeptical of the animals’ welfare, which she says is due to a lack of funding. She comments that the Mississippi zoo “leaves a lot of questions [about] whether or not the animals are getting their best chance at life.” Furthermore, she alleges that “a lot of cages are outdated as far as size and stimulation goes.” The purpose of the video was her attempt to push for further funding or rebuilding of the zoo. However, if it can’t receive repairs, she hopes to “possibly push for the removal of the remaining animals to a more suitable environment.”
Mixed Reactions To Mississippi Zoo
Many aren’t surprised at the alleged abandoned appearance, while others vote to have the place shut down. One person questions the legitimacy of the zoo being open, asking, “Like… is it even open? It gives abandoned.” Meanwhile, others are blasting the seemingly poor condition. One says, “Clear example of failure to maintain property. How they avoided animal abuse charges is beyond me.” Another agrees, “Shut it down, people can get different jobs, but no animal deserves to spend their life in that.”
However, locals are heartbroken to see the video as they recall how much they used to love to visit the Mississippi zoo. One states, “It’s so depressing seeing the way our officials constantly neglect the capitol.” Another says, “Our zoo used to be BEAUTIFUL.” A third commenter is nostalgic: “When I tell you this was the place to be back in the day, it was gorgeous.”
The woman didn’t post any of the animals she did see, or any images from the rest of the zoo.
