I interned for a zoo and there was this one old lady who would come in every single day (all day) and just watch one of the exhibits. I'm going to keep it vague since the exhibit in question is a pretty rare zoo animal. She would come in on her electric scooter and film videos of the animals and talk in the background (or directly tell guests) saying blatantly false statements about their habits and daily routines. For example, the particular animals in that exhibit sway side to side, which she claims is a response to stress. When, in fact, this was originally a stress response that started in the circuses which eventually spread to zoos because some of those circus animals would take that habit with them. The habit is continued because the public perceives this as a stress response and, to get them to stop, zookeepers have to give them treats or a distraction to stop it. This essentially trains the animal to sway side to side for treats, so the animals at that particular exhibit would always go and sway by the door of their barn around dinnertime because they associate it with being fed. None of these animals were ever in the circus but one came from a situation in which they encountered an abused circus animal, and the habit was picked up. The animals show no other signs of distress while doing this behavior. This is a known phenomenon. The zookeepers have explained this behavior many times and backed it up with peer reviewed research, but this woman does not listen. She's photoshopped photos of the barn and exhibit to make them look darker than they really are. She's made completely false claims about the animals attacking each other. She once told somebody that one of the animals was standing by the barn door because the zookeepers "commanded" her to prevent the other animal from attacking her. Firstly, those animals don't know a "stay" command. Secondly, it was 10 minutes before dinnertime and this very elderly animal has arthritis. Of course she's hanging out by the door waiting for dinner instead of frolicking way out in the yard. She's suggested moving these animals to a sanctuary that the zoo actually has a close relationship and, funnily enough, that sanctuary has come out and said that nothing is wrong and that transporting members of this species that are this elderly would cause more harm than good and potentially kill them. This species does not cope well with relocation (hence why circuses are so bad for them), especially in old age. Anyway, she sued the zoo. This has gone to trial multiple times and went to the state Supreme Court, and she has lost every single time because there is concrete evidence against everything she's saying. World-class experts have come in to evaluate the situation and they have all said the same thing: there is nothing wrong. Still, it has cost the city a lot of money in lawyers. I wish this woman would focus her activism on places that don't religiously follow AZA regulation. This zoo follows every rule exactly, even when no one is looking. When the barns were closed to the public due to COVID I still followed every regulation that we followed before COVID. They don't even allow cobwebs to be in the barns above stalls. These zookeepers keep up to date on the latest scientific literature and are always trying new methods of enrichment for the animals. There are factory farms, circuses, and non-AZA zoos that operate at a much lower standard. Would love to see her go after those Tiger King people. In many ways, the zoo appreciates her. She means well. She is a helpful reminder to provide the best care possible and essentially "keeps them on their toes." This situation has led to a lot of good discussion about animal behavior and how it spreads even when the original cause is no longer there. TLDR; Visitor sued the zoo and perpetuated dangerous misinformation.