The ethics of roadside zoos have long been debated among wildlife advocates, and a new investigation has uncovered allegations of injuries and near-fatal encounters going back years. The investigation, published by ABC News, found that many of these sanctuaries have faced allegations of dangerous environments. 

What is a roadside zoo?
They are "small menageries where wild animals like lions, tigers, monkeys, wolves, and others are kept in captivity," said the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF). The animals in these facilities often don't even see other animals, as "many roadside zoos keep animals confined alone in their cages."

Roadside zoos also often "encourage dangerous interactions between animals and visitors, such as bottle feeding tiger cubs," said the ALDF. This is how many of the allegations against these facilities have started. 

What did the investigation uncover?
There have been "at least 150 people over the past decade who have alleged they were injured during exotic animal encounters in the U.S.," ABC's investigation concluded. There are at least 900 facilities in the U.S. that allow visitors to interact with wild animals. Some of these places are "not accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums and many have a bad track record in their treatment of animals."

Several locations noted by ABC house facilities that keep big cats such as tigers; this includes the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, the subject of the 2020 Netflix series "Tiger King." This is a place where "wild animals were kept in barren cages, fed expired meat that grocery stores couldn't sell, and paraded before the public for profit," according to the Animal Welfare Institute. 

What next?
Legislation has been passed to curb roadside zoos. This includes the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which "prohibits public contact with big cats and the new breeding of cubs for private possession," said ABC. Other laws, such as the Endangered Species Act, also work to protect these animals. 

And while roadside zoos allow personal interactions, accredited zoos "increasingly do not allow keepers to even be photographed with their [animals], lest the public perceive it as a good pet," said the Times. Instead of going to a roadside zoo, said ABC, animal advocates "recommend doing so at locations accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums," a group "dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums."

Kamala Harris is walking a delicate line as she campaigns for the presidency: She is committed to Israel's right to defend itself after last year's Oct. 7 attack by Hamas — but also wants Israel to curb the violence it has inflicted on Gaza's civilians in the year since.

"I will always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself," she said in an October speech, according to NPR. But the "scale of suffering" in Gaza is "heartbreaking." Along with President Joe Biden, Harris has pushed for Israel to negotiate a cease-fire with Hamas that brings home the militant group’s remaining hostages. She has also been more vocal than Biden about the challenges and devastation Gazans have faced. 

A 'critical role' in the Middle East
Some observers believe that the U.S. has "lost influence" in its efforts to restrain Israel, Bloomberg said. The Biden-Harris administration has come in for criticism from Arab-American voters who have "vocally opposed U.S. support for Israel" during the war. But Harris says America still has a "critical role" to play in the Middle East, including in helping bring the war to an end. 

It's not clear that American Arab voters are comfortable with that stance, said Slate. The question is whether Harris would backtrack from Biden's "unwavering support" for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). "We need action, which means an arms embargo," said Natalia Latif of the pro-Palestinian Uncommitted movement. But Harris has "little room to maneuver," Slate said, given that a "huge part" of the Democratic Party base is "still deeply attached to Israel."

Seeking a two-state solution
Harris remains committed to a "two-state solution" that ultimately offers Palestinians their own state alongside Israel, PBS NewsHour said. "In that solution there must be security for the Israeli people and Israel, and in equal measure for the Palestinians," Harris said during her September debate with Donald Trump. But a plan to actually achieve the two-state solution has proven elusive for decades. The trick for Harris now is to try to keep both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian voters in the Democratic tent.