Staff photo by Judy Walton Animals on display at the Lookout Mountain Wild Animal Park in Mentone, Ala., are the subject of lawsuits and a custody dispute since the park closed.

Lookout Mountain Wild Animal Park in Mentone, Ala., has closed its gates to the public and surrendered its exhibitor's license to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

In an unsigned letter addressed "to news media," the Mentone facility, which has consistently garnered poor inspection marks from USDA over the past several years, is seeking $30,000 in donations to build new enclosures at Tigers for Tomorrow near Collinsville in DeKalb County, Ala., for its remaining big cats.

The Lookout Mountain Wild Animal Park's owner, Dr. Robert Bloome, did not return calls for comment, but his park manager, Susan Williams, said they hope to move their animals to Florida, where the economy for animal exhibiting is better.

"The economy here has been difficult," she said. "Financially, we just can't afford to do it the way it needs to be done."

Ms. Williams refused to allow the Times Free Press an opportunity to see and photograph any park animals, saying no members of the public have been allowed in since mid-September.

But the economy is not the park's only challenge for its future.

The operation and the property of the zoo are part of a bitter and ongoing divorce between Dr. Bloome, a general practitioner, and his wife, Lisa Jean Manus Bloome.

In September, another Florida animal park that partnered with Dr. Bloome and Ms. Williams -- taking in a majority of the Mentone animals -- locked the two out, according to Dr. Bloome's attorney, Thomas Dandar, of Tampa, Fla.

The owner and operator of the Stearns Zoological Rescue & Rehab Center Inc., also called Dade City's Wild Things, said Dr. Bloome didn't follow animal laws regarding animal transfers and care.

"I can't risk my facility," said center owner Kathy Stearns.

Federal oversight

USDA spokesman Dave Sacks said the Mentone animal park operators surrendered their exhibitor's permit on Oct. 16, and USDA accepted it on Oct. 19. At that time, he said, USDA ended its "responsibility" and jurisdiction for the animals.

"Once a license holder surrenders the license, they can no longer exhibit them," he said. "Basically then they are pets."

Although Mr. Sacks said federal inspectors did not ask or require Lookout Mountain Wild to surrender its license, USDA zoo inspection reports filed on USDA's Web site detail a number of long-standing and ongoing problems at the park, dating back to at least 2006.

Among the problems were no veterinary care or plan; animal enclosures with no water, dirty or "green" water or frozen water; rotting or unsanitary animal food storage; and at least four animal deaths, according to the USDA.

Since Dec. 11, 2006, Lookout Mountain Wild has had 50 pages of reports filed by the USDA. At times, the inspections or inspection attempts were occurring about once a month. Each inspection or attempted inspection found at least one problem, most found multiple problems.

By comparison, inspection reports show the Chattanooga Nature Center, Chattanooga Warner Park Zoo and Tennessee Aquarium have been inspected only once a year and normally state "no noncompliances identified."

All USDA inspections are surprise inspections, Mr. Sacks said, and neither Lookout Mountain Wild nor its operators have ever been fined or censured in any way beyond the written inspection reports.

"When we find problems, we inspect more," he said, adding that USDA's goal is not to shut down operations but to work with operators and try to "educate them."

USDA could confiscate animals if inspectors found "unrelieved suffering."

"We haven't seen that yet," he said. "We know, and anyone looking at those inspection reports knows, they have not been a really good player. We keep checking."

animals' future

Tigers for Tomorrow President Susan Steffens said she hopes take four tigers and a bear from Lookout Mountain Wild.

"We are willing to relocate them, but we need to do a public appeal to build enclosures and dens for them," she said.

If she takes the animals, she will be adopting them, not just keeping them temporarily, she said.

"We are a last-stop facility," she said, adding that Tigers for Tomorrow already has 21 tigers and seven lions, among other animals.

Mrs. Stearns in Dade City, Fla., said she tried to help Dr. Bloome, but wasn't going to try anymore. After taking about 15 of his animals in on adoption, he "did things backward" against regulations and kept changing his story about Mentone's needs, she said.

He told her he needed to move more animals more quickly than she could accommodate them because of his pending divorce settlement, she said.

"I found 16 people willing to take the animals he said he needed to move," she said. "But he said he didn't want his animals in kennels. Well, to me, if you're in the situation he said he was in, you just can't get that picky. Then suddenly he didn't need to move so quickly."

Dr. Bloome's attorney, Mr. Dandar, said the doctor and Mrs. Stearns had an agreement that Dr. Bloome would move the animals to the Stearns facility and also would have a position there.

"After all the animals were transported down there, they locked them (Dr. Bloome and Ms. Williams) off the property," Mr. Dandar said. "It's our position that they just decided to steal the animals. We're suing for civil theft."

PDF: Zoo inspection reports

On the Web

To see any zoo inspection:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/inspection_list.shtml

To see any zoo license information:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/publications_and_reports.shtml

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Inspection examples

Below are excerpts from Lookout Mountain Wild Animal Park's USDA inspections:

* On April 8, 2009 -- "The raised resting platform in the lynx enclosure is composed of plywood. It is worn and the edges have been scratched or clawed leaving large splinters. There are nails exposed where the wood has been chewed away ... (that) may allow the lynx to become injured while laying or walking on the platform."

* On April 8, 2009 -- "The number two freezer on the porch has a strong odor. There is semi dried blood/liquid in the bottom of the freezer and around the inside edge of the freezer. This freezer should be properly cleaned and maintained to protect the meat from contamination."

* On Sept. 18, 2008 -- "One of the cougars escaped from his cage. ... While he did escape from his primary enclosure, he remained within the eight-foot perimeter fence. The cougar attacked the female black leopard through her enclosure fence. He was able to get hold of her paw. In order to get the cougar to let go of the black leopard's paw and insure (sic) the cougar did not cause any further harm, it was necessary for the manager to shoot the cougar. The cougar was killed."

* On July 9, 2008 -- "I observed the remains of a dead animal at the water's edge of the pond in the large hoofstock enclosure at the back of the zoo. The carcass had been there for a while as the bones and skull were easily visible. ... While we were at the pond, another animal waded into the water and began to drink."

* On March 4, 2008 -- "Primary enclosures for one alpaca ... housed on the porch and one kangaroo housed outdoors have electrical cords traversing them. Animals can chew on cords or become entangled in them, resulting in animal injury."

* On Jan. 22, 2008 -- "Animal health problems are not being conveyed to a veterinarian. This facility currently does not have an attending veterinarian. This facility currently does not have an attending veterinarian under formal arrangements. At the time of inspection, one llama was observed to be dead. The llama's hair coat was soaked and coated with a layer of ice."

* On Sept. 11, 2007 -- The shelter in the outdoor enclosure for one juvenile female lion consists of a plastic dog house. The entryway to the dog house is now turned so that the lion cannot access the inside of the house. No additional shelter structure has been added to the enclosure. A cloth windbreak is present; however, the cloth is worn along the bottom edges and is ineffective protection from inclement weather."

* On Sept. 11, 2007 -- "Water receptacles for cougar, Patagonian cavy, juvenile lion, lynx, and red fox/fennec fox pair are dirty. The water in the receptacles is dark green."

* On Jan. 22, 2007 -- "One juvenile female lion is housed in the sheltered area adjacent to the house. The enclosure walls consist of glass panel sections held together with vices along the top. Two of the panels are not secured together and are supported only by a potted plant placed outside the enclosure. The panels were observed to move when touched by the cat. This animal has outgrown this area and it is not structurally sound enough to prevent escape of the lion."

* On Jan. 22, 2007 -- "The plastic dog house shelter provided for the bear cub is not adequate. The bear has now grown to be too large for the shelter ... the plastic dog house shelter provided for the female bear has a cracked roof. The opening in the roof prevents this structure from providing adequate protection from inclement weather."