Man Breaks in Zoo and Frees Animals
A man, saddened or enraged by the news that Everglades Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs, Florida will be closing soon, decided to break in and free the animals. According to employees, he cut the locks on almost all the animal cages in an attempt to let them all out. This happened early Monday morning.
Employee Jack Wollman arrived around 5 a.m that Monday morning and saw that the back gate had been sawed open. He immediately saw some animals, including pigs, deers, and birds, roaming about freely. Luckily wild animals such as a mountain lion and bobcat didn’t come out, although their cages were left open.
“It was pitch black,” Wollman said. “Then I heard the flamingos and when you hear flamingos you know someone is there. I saw a guy by the barn area and chased him to the parking lot. “He tried to take off on his bike. When I got near him he started swinging at me. I wasn’t going to let him get away. I just tackled him.”
Wollman held the suspect, 58-year-old Steven Trew, until deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s office arrived. He was then arrested and charged with burglary of a dwelling and damage to property with criminal mischief. Unfortunately, one deer was killed on Imperial Parkway, one deer is missing, but the rest were still found on the property and returned to their respective cages.