Private Louisiana zoo claims federal seizure of ailing giraffe wasn’t justified

ETHEL, La. (AP) — A private Louisiana zoo says that federal regulators overreached last week when they took away an ailing giraffe. Barn Hill Preserve is challenging the decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to seize a giraffe named Brazos on Tuesday. The zoo markets close-up encounters with exotic animals at its location north of Baton Rouge. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says inspectors documented a failure to provide adequate veterinary care, resulting in “unrelieved suffering” for the animal. Barn Hill says it’s being retaliated against for notifying the USDA that the giraffe was in poor health.