Long Island’s largest zoo, which faced animal abuse allegations, set to close after budget nix: ‘Very sad’
Long Island’s biggest and most debated zoo is shutting down, because town officials decided to cut its funding and move the animals—who are allegedly suffering severe abuse—to other rescue centers.
This comes after Brookhaven’s Town Board passed the 2026 budget with a unanimous 7‑0 vote, officially ending the Holtsville Ecology Center’s zoo and dealing a final blow to anyone who had wanted to keep it open and funded by taxpayers. “There needs to be far more in terms of an investment and resources into even attempting to run this operation properly,” said Town Supervisor Dan Panico during the meeting.
The new $367 million budget eliminated the annual $2 million that the town’s Highway Department had been using to keep the zoo running. Town leaders argued that the zoo was outside the scope of basic services the local government is meant to provide.
The free‑to‑visit zoo, which operated at a yearly loss, housed roughly 100 animals. Most were rescued or donated and no longer could survive on their own outdoors. Species ranged from bald eagles and bobcats to buffalo and various farm animals, all of which will be relocated to sanctuaries better equipped to care for them.
The zoo’s alleged mistreatment of animals has raged online and at meetings. Reported claims include a mountain lion drowning, shaving staph infections off Larry the rooster’s feet without anesthesia, neglecting Honey the bear’s rotting teeth while the cage was mistreated with a high‑pressure hose, and ignoring lead poisoning in Nessy the Peking duck.
Kristin Layer, the center’s former caretaker, accused Panico and other officials of closing the zoo for political reasons and to line their own pockets. “The REAL REASON for the ‘closure’ is because of ‘budget cuts’ YET our town [leaders] gave themselves over $30,000 raises this year INCLUDING [Town Supervisor] Dan Panico,” she posted on Instagram in September.
The 2026 budget increased salaries for local representatives by about $30,000 in total—roughly $3,000 to $4,000 per official. Panico and other town officials have denied any connection between the alleged abuse and salary increases, saying the true reasons for shutting the zoo were the animal mistreatment, high costs, insufficient staff, and aging infrastructure.
Jennifer Ramos, a resident near the zoo, expressed her heartbreak over the closure. “It’s very sad, I take my grandkids here all of the time, and they love it,” she said. “But if they’re mistreating the animals, they have got to go. The whole point of that place is to take care of animals that can’t take care of themselves.”
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