Holtsville Ecology Center zoo closes following animal transfers

The Holtsville Wildlife & Ecology Center’s zoo has shut down after 46 years in operation.

Months after allegations of animal mistreatment by former employees and animal rights activists last year came to light, the Brookhaven Town Board voted unanimously to pass its $367.2 million budget last November, requiring the zoo’s closure and was reported to save taxpayers about $2 million.

The decision to close the zoo was budget-motivated, Town of Brookhaven supervisor Dan Panico said last fall, and transfers were scheduled to take place by the end of March.

“The first transfers started happening soon after the new year,” said Dan Losquadro, Brookhaven Highway supervisor, the department overseeing the zoo. “The majority took place late February through March. It’s a process, and there is a lot of paperwork. The Department of Conservation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture were very helpful, and all the facilities the animals went to were licensed and permitted. We made sure filing was done with the required agencies.”

Losquadro added that the zoo’s birds were examined and tested for avian flu, with further exams at the receiving facilities.

“Our staff did a great job, and it was a lot of work,” Losquadro said. “We wanted to make sure they were going to facilities where they would live out their lives. The animals we had could never be released in the wild and had to live out their lives in some sort of captive environment.”

According to Losquadro, some facilities to which the animals were sent included the Bronx Zoo, the Staten Island Zoo, the Queens Zoo, and the Forest Park Zoo in Springfield, Mass., as well as smaller centers. The zoo’s alpaca and llama were placed at the Long Island Yarn and Farm in Yaphank, which produces alpaca and llama wool. And the zoo’s lynx was placed at the Cape May County Park and Zoo.

Losquadro added that other centers receiving animals “had a close relationship” with the Holtsville zoo.

With 130 animals, there was quite an array; Losquadro was asked if there were any that were challenging to place.

“Strangely, the buffalo,” he said. “You would have thought it was a slam dunk. She’s a large animal and eats a lot of food, and I’m speculating it could have had to do with space. But we didn’t have a problem with the steer. It was all a process finding the right fit.” 
The transfers went fairly smoothly, he said.

“There were no issues. We did everything in consultation and with veterinary care,” Losquadro said. “We did transfers, others provided the transfers. With sanctuaries and zoos, you’re accustomed with animals coming in and going out. The only issue we had was that there was a large number of animals we had to transfer in a relatively short period of time, but the DEC and USDA were very cooperative. Ours was a very difficult budget, and a number of the facilities had their budgets cut, too.”

The Ecology Center & Zoo transfers came after the town’s closing announcement due to budgetary reasons. But allegations of abuse and neglect in 2024 at the site by former employees and animal welfare groups came to light after Honey the bear was euthanized, and other alleged incidents were documented.

Demonstrations occurred in 2025; supporters and opponents of the center’s continuance attended board meetings.

John DiLeonardo, founder of Humane Long Island and a longtime advocate against the Holtsville Ecology Center Zoo’s operations, said none of the zoos the town said animals were sent to are accredited animal sanctuaries.

DiLeonardo had previously provided the Town of Brookhaven with a list of around 20 accredited facilities, and as of February, none of them had received any animals, and only a few had received any communication from the town, they said.

“It’s very disappointing that these animals had placement where they could have lived out their natural lives in the most natural and spacious environments with enrichment and specialized medical care, and now they’re just going from one roadside zoo to another,” DiLeonardo said.

DiLeonardo’s organization, Humane Long Island, called for the Town of Brookhaven to “reverse course immediately and honor their commitment to true sanctuary placement.”

While the Holtsville Ecology Center Zoo closed to the public by early April, a video recorded by a former employee who visited the site on April 10, and verified by The Long Island Advance, showed what appeared to be Lucy the bison, still at the center. The employee also said emus were present on the property.

The Town of Brookhaven has not confirmed if every animal has been transferred.

With the animals gone, what’s next at that location?

“I wouldn’t have the first idea,” Losquadro said. “We are still operating the greenhouses. Once I get my budget, I control that, but I don’t create the budget. When the Town Board decided they didn’t want to continue to fund the ecology center, I had to implement the closure. We’re still doing some of the horticulture classes other than Safety Town. But the Holtsville pool and other part of the complex is run by the parks department.”

The facility was funded through March 31.