Our family had annual memberships to the Reston Zoo for the past several years. After hearing about this incident over the winter we decided not to renew our annual passes and we curtailed our visits considerably. I think my kids went once this year. We won't go back again unless the director is removed (unlikely because she's the owner's daughter). The zoo also needs to engage the public by acknowledging their past failures and explaining how they'll change their practices. Until then, not only will we not attend, but we'll actively discourage others from visiting. The National Zoo in DC is a much better alternative, it's a lot cheaper (free!), and even parking is free if you're a FONZ member.

This is discouraging, though. I generally support a well-run zoo with a good outreach program and focus on species conservation. I suspect that if this zoo fails, the land will be developed into housing and we'll lose another unique feature of Reston.

I visited the zoo once, prior to this incident. It was so incredibly awful and we decided to not condone their facility with our money. This incident and conviction on proved what my gut told me- the Reston Zoo was a deplorable road side holding pen.

A much better and local alternative is Kidwell Farms.

Richard - You DO realize that the director is the owner's daughter, and that the OWNER is also a problem, right?!

If it had just been a case of euthanasia without proper licenses; I maybe could have gone back... But hearing that she DROWNED the wallaby... That's something entirely different! And they're accused of A WHOLE LOT of other stuff, too (bashing in the heads of animals to kill them, etc...).

The question about visitation is the wrong question--I am concerned about the short and long term care of the animals. Will Fairfax County Animal Control look in on this place regularly? Should the zoo be on the radar screen of the Humane Society? What can and should be done to ensure the animals are not being subjected to cruelty or neglect?

Going to actively discourage anyone to not to visit this zoo! Hope they sell it to someone who will run it properly. Never will return as long as the same owner holds the keys!

My son is three and we have had annual passes for the last two years. It has been a fun place to meet other friends and have playdates. In light of the conviction, we will never go to the Reston Zoo again while it is under the current ownership.

I find it shocking that the zoo has not issued a comment, or publicly acknowledged the conviction. I find the sentence far too lenient. The only thing that makes me feel a tiny bit better about the shockingly lenient sentence is that this woman is going to have this hanging over her head for the rest of her life -- this is going to follow her around. Her career as a zoo director is over, certainly. But she also probably can't go into law enforcement, education, and numerous other careers. She can't adopt a child. She's almost got it worse than if she were in jail and taken care of. She's got to support herself on the outside, where any sane, rational person would never hire her or trust her with something important.

I would definitely still visit! This incident doesn't surprise me in the least. I guess hiring a vet would be really expensive for the zoo owner. Maybe the zoo owner should have been allowed to administer medicine.

I loved the zoo and so do did my kids despite the fact that the animals did seem neglected and overfed all day long. I won't go back because all I would think about is that poor wallaby! Its a shame too since its only 5 minutes from us. They did tell me once when we were there that they had to close the new bird sanctuary for the day because when there are too many kids, the birds get stepped on and killed.

The director person in reference here has also erroneously given a misleading name and address to the court. Her married name is Meghan Frink and she lives on Woodcrest Dr. in Northpoint Reston. She exhibits inexcusable behavior - there are other actions of hers that others have, unknowingly to her, witnessed that would be even more shocking.
Andrew L.

I went there once years ago. Have heard rumblings over the years about neglect and cruelty so have not gone back. I agree that the owner is also a problem and will not go back until the Zoo is sold to someone else who hopefully will do a better job running it.

As stated on FB: I like the Reston Zoo and think that it is a wonderful local asset. HOWEVER, I wish that someone else (who loves animals) could/would buy it and run it properly. I wish I could afford it. And honestly I think it would get more business if it weren't SOOO expensive. I think Ms. Mogensen's dad should not keep the Reston Zoo. It appears that his number 1 goal is money and not the animals or even it's visitors.

I think the Humane Society needs to step in and take over running the zoo until an appropriate owner can be found. They need to take control away from the owner and not allow him to continue to allow the neglect and mistreatment of the animals. She should have been sentenced to at least a year and never be allowed to even own an animal. I am disappointed in the Humane Society for not stepping up and getting involved/taking over the care of these creatures.

I think the Zoo needs to have a Free Week or so to go out for business before they go out of business, if you get my meaning. The current owner and Director of course need to go . They do not own the land , that is leased to them.

Put the Reston Zoo out of business and you will probably get another housing development there. I hope they can adjust their policies to make them more acceptable to the public. Aim for a win - win situation.

I decided to stop visiting after visiting their new bird area and watching a lady step on one of the poor little birds. There are signs warning people to be careful when walking, but there was not a single staff member in the aviary to supervise and provide guidance, or even in the vicinity. The lady was wandering around looking for someone to help out with the injured bird. I was disgusted and I vowed at that point not to return to the Reston Zoo. This conviction is just icing on the cake, in my opinion.

I hope that this zoo and its affiliate, Safari Park, have new and competent ownership. This tragic story and disgraceful conduct of the Reston Zoo's director, Ms. Mogensen, and her father, the owner of these zoos, has cast a long shadow over these "family friendly" zoos. We have visited both zoos and saw nothing to indicate mistreatment, but I believe that Ashley Rood did witness this heartless and painful killing of an injured wallaby and I am grateful that she had the courage and moral strength to report this shocking act. The owner simply wanted to save the expense of calling the veterinarian to euthanize the injured wallaby. Instead of saving money, the owner and his daughter have permanently damaged their reputations and shown their callous nature. What else have they done behind closed doors? There are worthy organizations out there who should have a shot at running this business.

I posted links to the Patch articles on the Humane Society of the U.S. Facebook Page. Got this response: "we have pass(ed) this on to our VA state director, who you can also reach at virginia@humanesociety.org. Thanks!" Great suggestion above! I doubt they can "take over" but am hoping they can do something to help protect the animals until a good solution is found. I hope a few others will email the VA director to reinforce this.

Its funny what people get up in arms about. I worked at the feed store and we all called her the Paris Hilton of agriculture. she was a real sweet little blonde that always helped load her own feed. For someone 100lbs we thought she'd break, but she just laughed. She's an ag girl, farm raised. always spent several thousands on feeds, bowls, vitamins, treats whatever the animals needed. There isn't a cruel bone in her body.

I am glad there are still some farms, some animals in the area. Left to ya'll - every farm in the state would be a subdividsion. Stick to your shopping malls.

At noon today the Kojo Namdi show discussed "Roadside Zoos." See http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2012-10-04/regulating-roadside-zoos. Guest speakers included the Deputy Director, Program and Policy, The Humane Society of the United States - and they are well aware of what happened here.