A judge has ruled that a Northeast Iowa zoo must turn over a couple of it's endangered species to a proper facility.

In a Wednesday ruling, the judge said Pamela and Tom Sellner, owners of the Cricket Hollow Zoo near Manchester, will have to surrender their tigers and lemurs kept in cages in their facility.

According to the judge, the couple violated provisions of the Endangered Species Act, which prohibits harassment of animals. That includes social isolation, a lack of envionmental enrichment, and inadequate sanitation for the lemurs.

Concerning the tigers, the Sellners are accused of failing to provide veterinary care and adequate sanitation.

The animals must be turned over to the USDA within 90 days.

A group of Iowans, members of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, filed the lawsuit against the Sellners after visiting the zoo.

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