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The Bowmanville Zoo whose owner is facing charges of animal cruelty, has announced this season will be its last. The zoo made headlines in December of last year, after PETA released a video of a tiger allegedly being abused in a training session.

In the footage it appears the zoo’s owner, Michael Hackenberger, repeatedly whips the tiger. It struck a cord with many. Earlier this year Hackenberger was charged with with five counts in relation to animal cruelty. He maintains his innocence and says he only whipped the tiger twice and then continued to whip the floor as a training technique.

Angus Carroll, a spokesman for the zoo expressed concern over how society is changing its attitude toward zoos.
“If we lose zoos, we will all lose something very important, something that connects us to a dwindling natural world.”

The zoo says it’s in the process of finding new homes for its animals. Hackenberger is scheduled for another court date later this summer.