A judge has ordered the owners of a closed-down roadside zoo in eastern Iowa to explain what happened to some animals that were supposed to be removed. In late November Judge Monica Wittig found the Cricket Hollow Zoo near Manchester to be a nuisance and that the exotic animals at the site must be placed at accredited sanctuaries or zoos. An attorney who represented Iowa residents in the lawsuit filed an affidavit requesting a contempt charge. It alleged that several animals specifically mentioned in Wittig’s removal order, including five brown bears, two mountain lions, a fox, a wolf hybrid and a camel could not be found. The judge set the hearing for Feb. 7 in Manchester.
