A petting zoo at Thompson Park in Monroe Township, New Jersey has shut down its animal facility and as a result of our persistent advocacy efforts, the animals were sent to sanctuaries instead of other petting zoos. Back in the beginning of 2022, a teenager reached out to us with concerns about the animals there, and we’re thrilled to report on this wonderful outcome. 

Minutes from his house, Thompson Park’s “animal haven” was a place Siraj Gandhi cherished as a young child. He vividly remembers visiting the animal area, feeding the deer corn husks, and watching the peacocks fan their feathers in the rain. As he matured, however, he began to see beyond the lens of human fascination. He saw those same peacocks shivering in the cold, the emu pacing in his limited area, and the pigs always out of sight in their small house, hiding from daylight. What was viewed as a haven in the eyes of many of the park’s visitors, in truth, was a nightmare for the animals.

In middle school, as part of a reformation project, Siraj set out to improve the living conditions of the animals. He wrote a letter to the mayor and knocked on house doors to get a petition signed. The mayor forwarded his letter to the Middlesex County Parks and Recreation. But after two years of letters and the pandemic in between, he realized he was not getting the county’s attention.

He reached out to In Defense of Animals at the beginning of 2022 to ask for help. During a visit to the park to check on the animals, he finally saw the pot-bellied pigs out of their house. It was clear to him from their physical condition that they were not properly cared for. Cosmo’s front leg was bent close to a 90-degree angle, and Newman was severely obese. He realized that the animals at Thompson Park weren’t simply victims of small spaces: their physical and emotional needs were being neglected too. Expanding the enclosures would not be enough. They needed to be relocated to sanctuaries where their needs would be a priority. 

Siraj began attending county commissioner meetings, where he showed photo and video evidence of the deplorable conditions the animals were in. He told the commissioners that if the county did not take action, we would escalate our campaign. After months of pressure from us, the county finally agreed to release the Thompson Park animals to sanctuaries.

Two elderly pot-bellied pigs who suffered for years at the park were the first to be transferred, back in July 2022. We later sponsored a housewarming party for Cosmo and Newman at Fluffy Butt Rescue in Milford, New Jersey. Attendees celebrated the pigs’ rescue and welcomed them into a large, insulated, state-of-the-art wooden house purchased by donations, including a generous contribution from In Defense of Animals. The move would be life-changing for the pigs. They were put on anti-inflammatory medications and supplements for their skin and joints, as well as a healthy diet, and their condition began to improve.

We then began contacting sanctuaries and making suggestions to the county for placements for the other animals. With avian flu, the birds were restricted from being moved out of the state, which added a greater challenge to the effort. During this process, the county suddenly dishonored its commitment to allow the animals to go to sanctuaries by deciding to send the birds to a place that, upon our investigation, was, horrifyingly, a for-profit petting zoo called Misfit Farmstead. This facility exploits animals at birthday parties and even sells some of its animals for consumption! In addition, the county planned to send the Thompson Park deer to Space Farms, a zoo with a terrible track record for animals. However, we pushed on and made a case that those places were awful for animals, then convinced the county to allow us the opportunity to find homes for them. We were told that if we could not find alternate placements within a certain amount of time, the county would move forth with plans to transfer the animals to the aforementioned facilities. 

Fluffy Butt Rescue, which had taken in the two pot-bellied pigs from Thompson Park, agreed to take the two turkeys. They were relocated to the sanctuary in August 2023 and named Emerald and Luna. With perseverance and sustained effort, we then found a wonderful home for the other Thompson Park birds – 8 roosters, 7 ducks, 3 pheasants, and an emu – who were also transferred in August 2023, all of them to Patchwork Pastures Sanctuary. Sadly, one of the pheasants died at the park before the relocation, resulting in only two making it to the sanctuary. Also, tragically, the elderly emu died during the county’s transport of the birds to the sanctuary. We were devastated to learn that he didn’t make it to his new liberated life after twenty years of living in a confined space at the park. We were also very upset that the county did not take greater care to ensure the animals’ well-being during their transfer, as emus are prone to stress and are also susceptible to heat-related issues. 

As for the 22 deer at Thompson Park, the effort of securing placement for them proved to be a serious challenge. Due to strict regulations from the New Jersey Department of Fish & Wildlife (NJDFW), there were only four facilities in the state where the deer were approved to go. Because white-tailed deer are native to New Jersey, they couldn’t be moved across state lines and it was also a requirement that the deer go to a place that already had that same species. Three of the facilities that were approved by the NJDFW were zoos and the fourth one was Six Flags Safari. Two of the zoos declined to take them. The third zoo is a place called Space Farms, which has a terrible track record for animal care. We sent someone to investigate the deer area there and she reported back that it was barren and full of dirt and rocks, with hardly any greenery and no real grazing opportunity. Visitors were also feeding them junk food, such as chips and crackers, through the fence, and were encouraged by the staff to buy snacks for the deer. 

We could not allow the Thompson Park deer to go there! Our only option was Six Flags Safari, which has many acres of land for the animals to roam, plenty of lush greenery for grazing, and waterways. The deer appear peaceful, healthy, and well-fed. At first, Six Flags Safari had told the county that it wouldn’t take in any more deer, as it had already taken a group of deer from another Middlesex County park. Therefore, the county made plans for the deer to go to Space Farms. We were appalled and very concerned about the future of these deer. We also had a strong suspicion that some of the deer at Space Farms are fed to the carnivores at the zoo, such as the big cats. So we launched into further action and contacted Six Flags, making a case for why it should consider taking the Thompson Park deer. We told its representatives that if the park turned this down, these animals would end up in a terrible place. Our persistence worked and Six Flags Safari agreed to take all of the deer!

Siraj Gandhi told us, “Fighting for the liberation of these animals has been an eye-opening journey and has transformed my own life in addition to transforming the lives of the animals. Partnering with In Defense of Animals to combine my advocacy with the organization's immense experience in animal rights justice has been an incredible opportunity. I hope that this campaign is a message to people, especially youth like myself, to stand up for what they believe in and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

Animals do not belong in petting zoos and we are very happy that our efforts resulted in a positive outcome for the Thompson Park animals. Please consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for caring.