The Conservation Game a documentary about the exotic big cat trade details how Jack Hanna, the famous animal expert who worked at the Columbus Zoo for 42 years, took animals onto talk shows that didn’t come from and didn’t end up in the Zoo. Instead they would go between “backyard breeders and unaccredited roadside zoos”.

In 2023, former CEO Tom Stalf, former marketing director Peter Fingerhut and former chief financial officer Greg Bell were charged with a 90-count indictment containing theft, bribery and corrupt behavior. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said they are responsible for 2.2 million in lost funds.