Reston Zoo

The Reston Zoo is a 30-acre animal park in Vienna.

The park was originally opened in 1974 by Mack S. Crippen, Jr. as the Reston Pet-A-Pet Farm.[1]

Crippen closed Pet-A-Pet in 1978 after losing nearly $200,000 in the venture.[2]

In 1980 the park reopened as the Pet Farm Park with owners Robert and Shirley Johnson, who rented the location from Crippen.[3]

The Johnsons renamed the park the Reston Animal Park in 1993.[4]

In 1994 the Johnsons filed suit against Crippen when Crippen ordered them to leave the 60 acre park site.[5][6] The Johnsons and Crippen reached an agreement prior to trial that allowed them to continue to rent the site for another five years.[6]

Crippen sold 30 acres of the 60 acre park to construct the Meadows neighborhood of Great Falls Crossing.

When the Johnsons' lease expired in 1999, they moved to Sunshine Farms in Leesburg, which they renamed the Leesburg Animal Park.

Eric and Janet Mogensen rented the site from Crippen in January 2000, and the Reston Zoo opened in April.[7] After Crippen's death in 2006, the Mogensens purchased the property in 2009.[1]

Animal cruelty

In January 2012, an adult wallaby named Parmesan suffered an eye injury that was further aggravated when the animal was segregated, causing the loss of its eye.[8] Because veterinary care is expensive and the animal would no longer look cute to children, zoo director Meghan Mogenson drowned Parmesan in a five gallon bucket and threw its corpse into a dumpster.[8]

Mogenson was snitched out by zoo curator Ashley Rood and convicted in Fairfax General District Court of animal cruelty and possessing animal anesthesia without a license on September 28, 2012.[9] She appealed her conviction, but copped a plea to animal cruelty on December 28 before her trial in Circuit Court started.[10]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Zeidner, Rita. "Where We Live: Reston." Washington Post: Real Estate. The Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2011. Web. 21 May 2014.
  2. ↑ Collins, Denis. "Topsy: From the Big Top to a Children's Petting Farm, Elephant Bids Triumphant Farewell to Stardom Elephant Was Last Animal at Pet-a-Pet." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Feb 08 1979. ProQuest. Web. 21 May 2014.
  3. ↑ Johnson, Janis. "Antlers Aweigh! Pet Farm is Back, Full of Soft Touches." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Jul 10 1980. ProQuest. Web. 21 May 2014.
  4. ↑ Solomon, Mary. "Saturday's Child: Up Close and Pettable." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 68. Oct 01 1993. ProQuest. Web. 21 May 2014.
  5. ↑ Mariano, Ann. "But what would Dr. Doolittle Think?" The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 3. Feb 05 1994. ProQuest. Web. 21 May 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Associated Press. "Animal Park Can Stay Put under Accord." The Free Lance-Star [Fredericksburg] 5 Dec. 1994: B8. Google News Archive Search. Web. 21 May 2014.
  7. ↑ Branigin, William. "Roamin' Empire Fights Sprawl; Reston Zoo Owner Promises to Keep Development Away." The Washington Post: 0. Jul 28 2000. ProQuest. Web. 21 May 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Golgowski, Nina. "Virginia Zoo Director Guilty of Drowning Wallaby in Bucket of Water before Tossing in Dumpster." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 29 Sept. 2012. Web. 22 May 2014.
  9. ↑ Jouvenal, Justin. "Reston Zoo Director Guilty of Drowning Wallaby." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 01 Oct. 2012. Web. 22 May 2014.
  10. ↑ Jouvenal, Justin. "Reston Zoo Director Pleads Guilty in Drowning of Wallaby." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 03 Jan. 2013. Web. 22 May 2014.

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