Hovatter's Wildlife Zoo, also known as the West Virginia Zoo, is a zoo in Kingwood, West Virginia. The zoo is open seasonally from April to October, and on weekends in November. Opening and closing dates vary from year to year.
In 2015, West Virginia Zoo took tiger cubs from their mother at birth and showed them off behind a gift shop counter at two to three weeks old, before the tiger cubs had been vaccinated. West Virginia Zoo also used the tiger cubs for photo shoots. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service cited West Virginia Zoo for exposing the tiger cubs to the public before their immune protection had sufficiently developed to protect them against disease, risking their health and making the zoo noncompliant with the Animal Welfare Act.[8][9]
^"About Us". West Virginia Zoo. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
^Conaway, Danielle (August 5, 2008). "Lion cub at Preston zoo could be rare". Charleston Daily Mail (Charleston, West Virginia). p. P2A.
^"Wildlife zoo has new resident". The Dominion Post (Morgantown, West Virginia). May 24, 2011.
^Gay, Bob (July 18, 2013). "Giraffe, camel companion join zoo menagerie". The Dominion Post (Morgantown, West Virginia).
^Gay, Bob (May 4, 2012). "Zack the giraffe major attraction at local zoo". The Dominion Post (Morgantown, West Virginia).
^Lang, Alex (March 7, 2010). "Enthusiasts show up for outdoors show: Baby animals, demonstrations part of event". The Dominion Post (Morgantown, West Virginia).
^"Animals". West Virginia Zoo. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
^Mattise, Jonathan (July 6, 2015). "USDA cites West Virginia zoo for handling of tiger cubs". Associated Press.
^Beard, David (August 29, 2015). "Kingwood zoo found out of compliance with AWA law". The Dominion Post (Morgantown, West Virginia).
