09/23/2026
‼️POLK COUNTY TEXAS! Our Sheriff’s Office is now working with PETA in a county where agriculture, livestock, farming, fishing and rural life are a HUGE part of our community. Let that sink in!!!!
‼️According to information provided to our attorneys which we have proof of, Polk County Deputy Sheriff Andy Lowry are in communication with PETA regarding Wildlife Wonderland and our animals.
⚠️Considering everything that has happened over the past year I can’t say I’m surprised but I am incredibly disappointed. A government entity that’s put in place to protect its people is acting off emotion in opening a door that could cause Polk county a lot of problems. This is not a good look for leadership in a rural Texas county where agriculture and animal ownership are woven into the community.
❗️Texas A&M AgriLife estimated that agriculture and related activities generated approximately $1 BILLION in economic output in Polk County in 2024… including livestock, crops, timber, fishing, hunting and recreation.
So this conversation isn’t only relevant to exotic animal owners.
‼️‼️Cat & dog owners, Cattle ranchers, Chicken farmers, Livestock owners. Hunters, Hunting dog owners, Horse owners, Farmers, Pet owners YOURE ALL SUSCEPTIBLE NOW!
🚫PETA’s positions extend far beyond exotic animals….The organization publicly campaigns against hunting, fishing and animal agriculture and opposes using animals for food. PETA also maintains resources highlighting local animal ordinances, including laws that limit the number of companion animals (CATS & DOGS) people may keep.
🛠️Wildlife Wonderland has spent the past year building our property specifically around containment animal welfare and public safety as we always do, it’s our duty to the public and the animals who count on us.
🧾In more than a year here we’ve had no bites and no animal related public safety incidents. The only animal that left our property was a boa constrictor kept as my son’s household pet not one of our sanctuary animals and it was recovered by our ups driver.
🐒🐍🦖🐻Our enclosures were built to protect our children, staff, neighbors, the public and most importantly the animals themselves. Because if an animal bites or hurts someone ultimately the animal is the one to suffer the consequences.
👮♂️Yet instead of creating clear species specific safety requirements Polk County chose sweeping restrictions affecting primates and non native reptiles.
And now we’re being told that Sheriff Byron Lyons and Deputy Sheriff Andy Lowry have been communicating with PETA through this which makes sense on the mass banning of animals this past year.
🐄You may not care about Wildlife Wonderland, You may even support what they’re doing to us. But you should care about precedent. The Sheriff’s Office can choose who it communicates with today. It cannot guarantee what causes an outside organization chooses to pursue tomorrow.
🎣Polk County’s farmers,fishers, ranchers, hunters, livestock owners and animal owning families deserve to know what role PETA is playing ….what information is being exchanged and exactly what involvement Sheriff Lyons and Deputy Lowry have requested from them and how they intend to keep such a powerful group at bay once they are done trying to ruin our animal rescue we’ve built.
This isn’t about asking everyone to agree with us It’s about transparency. When an organization with well documented positions against practices that are common in rural Polk County the people who live here have every right to ask questions And we’re going to keep asking them.
