New York Zoo to Close Due to Budget Cuts amid Allegations of Animal Cruelty — What’s Next for Its 100 Animals

A government-run animal park in Long Island is being shut down following action by local officials, who voted to eliminate the zoo's funding amid mounting allegations of mistreatment. 

According to a press release from the Town of Brookhaven, obtained by PEOPLE, the Holtsville Ecology Site and Animal Preserve, also known as Holtsville Zoo, located in Brookhaven, N.Y., was one of the key budget cuts in the town's new $367 million budget plan for 2026. 

The proposal outlines "a gradual closure" of the Holtsville Ecology Site and Animal Preserve, which is managed by the Town of Brookhaven Highway Department and houses a wide variety of wild and exotic animals — including bears, foxes, big cats, and birds — most of which have been rescued (from unsafe living conditions) or donated because they are unable to survive in the wild. 

"Rescued birds and mammals currently housed at the facility will be transferred to an approved and accredited sanctuary," stated the release, "ensuring continued care and ethical treatment." 

Currently, the Holtsville Zoo holds roughly 100 animals, a large number for the multiple neighboring sanctuaries and zoos to shoulder.

"The decision wasn't made on a whim," Brookhaven's town supervisor, Dan Panico, said to PEOPLE in a statement. "We are going to look to partner with as many local entities as possible, like the Suffolk County Farm, where applicable."

Panico noted that the town needs to focus on "core functions," such as the growing cost of living, adding, "The 70s were a different time, and the idea of bringing animals to an uncapped landfill to run a sanctuary in the Highway Department may have been feasible then. It is no longer."

Prior to this announcement, the free-to-access zoo faced several allegations of animal abuse — including reports claiming a mountain lion drowned and ducks suffering lead poisoning at the preserve.

Following mounting accusations against the zoo, particularly from the animal rights activist group Humane Long Island, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation began investigating the center for failing to provide proper veterinary care to its animals.

In a statement to PEOPLE regarding the allegations, Brookhaven's director of communications, Drew Scott, denies all claims of abuse. 

"We categorically state none of the animals at the Holtsville Ecology Site were abused or mistreated as claimed by some media reports and by former disgruntled employees," said Scott. "We were subjected to exhausting investigations by the NY State DEC, Suffolk County District Attorney, and the SPCA."

John Di Leonardo, executive director of Humane Long Island, says that the closure is a "long-overdue decision."

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"We urge the Town to honor this progress by ensuring that every animal is placed with reputable, accredited sanctuaries equipped to provide lifelong, specialized care," said Di Leonardo in a statement to PEOPLE. "Handled responsibly, this moment can serve as a model of compassion and meaningful progress for communities across Long Island."

The transition of the animals is expected to occur sometime in the first quarter of 2026.