Holtsville Ecology Center’s animal refuge — Long Island’s largest zoo — to close for good after 40 years and alarming abuse allegations: ‘We hoped for this’

Long Island’s largest and most controversial zoo is set to close its doors and ship all its animals off to rescue facilities, as the sanctuary prepares to “wind down” by early next year, officials confirmed Monday.

The Holtsville Ecology Center’s zoo, a Suffolk County taxpayer-funded animal refuge riddled with horrific abuse allegations, will finally be phased out after more than 40 years in operation as Brookhaven town officials look to cut costs and shift focus and funding.

“The operations at the Holtsville sanctuary are going to wind down,” Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico revealed at a special town meeting Monday.

“I believe society’s view changes over time, and so must the view of this town, especially if we are going to deliver on the promise of effective and efficient operations of town government — it’s so far out of the scope of what the town government should be doing, especially in these budgetary times,” Panico added. 

Town leaders said there is no official closing date at the moment, but they are aiming to empty and close the zoo by the end of March 2026 and relocate each animal to various “SPCA approved and accredited” rescue facilities.

“This is not going to be a mad dash,” Panico said, detailing that funding for the roadside sanctuary remains intact through the first quarter of next year. 

“We’re going to do this methodically, with the utmost care to ensure the animals go to a place they should be to live out their days, and we will continue to concentrate on core functions of town government.”

Having opened its doors in 1979 on a reclaimed landfill, the Holtsville zoo grew into one of the most prominent free attractions across Long Island — drawing families from all over Suffolk and neighboring counties.

The refuge houses roughly 100 animals, a majority of which were rescued or donated and can’t survive in the wild on their own anymore, ranging from bald eagles and bobcats to buffalo and farm livestock that patrons are allowed to feed and pet. 

But the zoo has also faced mounting criticism in recent years for its treatment of its animals, including letting a mountain lion drown, cutting staph infections out of Larry the rooster’s feet without anesthesia, ignoring Honey the bear’s rotting teeth as she wasted away in a tiny enclosure, while also spraying her with a high-powered hose, and failing to treat Nessy the Peking duck’s lead poisoning, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Animal advocates have long argued the town lacked the veterinary expertise and resources to properly care for such a wide range of species, and hailed Monday’s announcement as long overdue.

“This is the only decision made that was right by the animals,” John Di Leonardo, executive director of Humane Long Island, told The Post. 

Di Leonardo praised the move as both a win for animal welfare and for taxpayers. 

“We hoped for this — it’ll save taxpayers over a million dollars a year. Now, it’s a matter of making sure they don’t go to another facility like this,” he said. 

But Jennifer Ramos, who lives near the zoo, said she was “devastated” by its closing and doesn’t mind her tax dollars being spent on the sanctuary. 

“It’s very sad, I take my grandkids here all of the time and they love it, but if they’re mistreating the animals, they have got to go. The whole point of that place is to take care of animals that can’t take care of themselves,” Ramos said, previously unaware of the allegations against the zoo. 

“I would like to see the town bring in an outside organization who actually knows what it is doing and run it right, rather than close it entirely,” she added. 

Panico, however, said closing the not-for-profit sanctuary is the only fiscally responsible choice moving forward for the municipality.

“The highway superintendent inherited this operation, as did every member of this board,” he said. “We do land use, zoning, planning, parks, open space, pave the roads, pick up the garbage — that’s what town government is supposed to be focused on.”