Among the indictments handed down by a Rockbridge County grand jury on Monday were several charges against former Natural Bridge Zoo owners Karl and Debbie Mogensen and against current owner Gretchen Mogensen.
Karl Mogensen was indicted on 18 counts of animal cruelty, a class one misdemeanor. Sixteen of the incidents were dated Dec. 6, 2023, which is the date of the raid conducted by the attorney general’s office and the Virginia State Police. The remaining two indictments were dated May 8, 2023, and June 3, 2023.
Debbie Mogensen was also indicted on 18 counts of animal cruelty for the same dates as Karl Mogensen, as well as two felony counts of forging a public record on Nov. 25, 2023.
Sasha “Gretchen” Mogensen was indicted on 16 counts of animal cruelty, all dated Dec. 6, 2023, and two counts of forging a public record, also on Nov. 25, 2023.
The animal cruelty charges each carry a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail. Forging a public record is a class five felony, which carries a sentence of one to 10 years in prison.
The indictments mark the latest chapter in the ongoing saga of the Natural Bridge Zoo’s legal issues, which began in December 2023 with the seizure of nearly 100 animals from the zoo.
Karl and Debbie Mogensen challenged the seizure, first in Rockbridge County General District Court, where 61 of the animals were awarded to the state and 39 were ordered to be returned to the zoo. The Mogensens appealed the ruling to the Rockbridge County Circuit Court, where a jury awarded 71 animals to the state and 29 back to the zoo. The Virginia Court of Appeals upheld the verdicts of the jury, as well as several rulings made by Judge Christopher Russell during the trial, in an opinion published two weeks ago.
Further charges of violating a court order were filed against Karl and Gretchen Mogensen stemming from the removal of one of four giraffes from the zoo in October 2024. Both Karl and Gretchen Mogensen were found to be in violation of the court’s orders to not interfere with the moving of the giraffe and were given suspended jail sentences. A second charge of violating a court order was filed against Gretchen Mogensen related to an inspection in April 2025, during which she failed to open the zoo for the inspectors upon their arrival and, when she did let them in the next day, it was discovered that two of the three remaining female giraffes, which had been pregnant, had given birth, though the babies were not at the zoo.
Gretchen Mogensen was ordered to reveal the location of the baby giraffes within 30 days or to report to the Rockbridge Regional Jail to serve a 100-day sentence. Appeals of the ruling were denied by both the Rockbridge County Circuit Court and the Virginia Court of Appeals, and Mogensen reported to the Rockbridge Regional Jail at noon on Oct. 29. She is scheduled to be released this Friday. The location of the baby giraffes is still unknown, and a reward of $50,000 has been offered by actress and animal-rights supporter Alicia Silverstone for any information regarding their whereabouts.
The Mogensens have filed a federal lawsuit against several defendants, including lawyers and investigators with the attorney general’s office, as well as Rockbridge County Commonwealth’s Attorney Jared Moon and the Virginia State Police. No response to the suit has been filed as of Tuesday afternoon.
The Office of the Attorney General did not respond to request for comment by press time, nor did Anthony Anderson, Gretchen Mogensen’s defense attorney. Aaron Cook, who represents Karl and Debbie Mogensen, did respond, but did not offer any comment at this time.
