In Penza, reports emerged about violations in the way animals are kept at a local petting zoo, according to a member of the Typical Penza group on VKontakte. The post described concerns raised by visitors who believe the Jumanji zoo is not providing proper animal care and pointed out that many animals pictured on the facility’s social media are not truly present in cages or enclosures depicted online. The allegations also touched on administrative details, noting that visitors are given a cafe-style receipt as proof of entry payment and that the establishment’s tax identification number appears to be mislisted. Local residents expressed particular anger about the living conditions and the animals’ health.
The author said the animals seemed deprived of fresh air and space, appearing tired and stressed as crowds moved nearby. They described aggressive feeding by some guests, with food allegedly being tossed onto resting animals. Observers reported visible signs of distress, including instances of sawdust lodged under a meerkat’s fur, scarring, open sores, and ailments affecting paws and eyes. Some animals were observed to be either tense and restless or unusually passive, with limited or disrupted sleep. The writer emphasized that such treatment should not be tolerated and condemned the conditions as unacceptable.
A separate report noted a separate incident involving a Muscovite who captured video of mistreatment of a cat and subsequently faced criminal charges. This sequence of events has drawn attention to ongoing concerns about animal welfare at the facility and has heightened calls for scrutiny and reform in how animals are housed and cared for at the Penza zoo.