Joe the Chimpanzee at the Mobile Zoo
Joe is a chimpanzee who is confined at the Mobile Zoo in Alabama to a tiny, virtually barren enclosure that is no larger than a dog run. Chimpanzees are highly social animals, yet Joe has been alone at this facility for years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has repeatedly cited the facility for failing to provide Joe and other primates with adequate enrichment and safe, clean enclosures. In June 2014, the Mobile Zoo was cited for instructing people to pelt Joe with peanuts in order to feed him. And in 2013, the facility was cited for failing to provide Joe with a program of enrichment after a USDA inspector observed him jumping, banging on his cage, throwing dirt, and spitting. Learn more:
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Reality Check: Sex Offenders Participate In Ha
MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) In the dark of night kids run from house to house, dressed up and ready for a night of fun.
You dont know whos living in that apartment, you dont know whos living down the street, you dont know who the new neighbors are, said Pat Guyton, with the Child Advocacy Center in Mobile.
Some of those homeowners could be registered sex offenders living in your neighborhood. Alabama state law gives them the right to pass out candy to your children.
That is awfully scary. Im a mother of three children and that is awfully scary to think that your child could walk up to a door and trust an adult that your child should not be around, said Tiffany Baldwin, a concerned parent.
Surprisingly, there are no restrictions for the 11,000 registered sex offenders in Alabama during Halloween, meaning your child could be knocking on the door of one of 1,200 registered sex offenders living in our area.
The state of Alabama does not have any specific restrictions on sex offenders as far as in some states they have to put a sign up and say hey theres a sex offender that lives here or turn their lights off, or theyre not allowed to answer the door, but in Alabama those restrictions are not in place, said Sgt. Joe Mahoney, with the Mobile County Sheriffs Office.
In California, since 1994, Operation Boo prevents registered sex offenders from participating in Halloween. Theres a 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew for offenders, all exterior lights of their home must be off, Halloween decorations arent allowed and the nearly 50,000 registered sex offenders in California are prohibited from offering candy to children.
Back here at home Pat Guyton with the Child Advocacy Center puts the responsibility on parents saying now is the time to do your research before the kids head out the door.
The easiest way to check on registered sex offenders where you live is to access the database made available on the sheriffs office website.
Click here to search the sex offender registry for Mobile and Baldwin counties.