Single Vision Inc. in Melrose, Florida, has a documented history of exotic animal encounters, including bear cubs and African servals.
Its inspection record deserves attention beyond the visitor experience.
BEYOND THE ENCOUNTER — THE USDA RECORD OF CONCERN
Single Vision Inc. • Melrose, Florida • At Least 49 Citation Entries Documented, 2017–2026
A wildlife encounter lasts minutes. Responsibility for the animal continues every day. At Single Vision Inc. in Melrose, Florida, the inspection record raises concerns extending from public handling to veterinary care, enclosure safety, sanitary water and regulatory oversight.
ㅤ
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) database records reviewed for this article document at least 49 citation entries across 16 distinct inspection dates between June 22, 2017, and September 14, 2026: 45 Non-Critical, three Critical and one Direct. This is a documented minimum from the records reviewed, rather than a verified complete total of every citation since 2017.
ㅤ
What the number represents
ㅤ
Each entry is a cited noncompliant item, not a separate injured animal or necessarily a unique regulatory provision. A provision cited on multiple inspection dates contributes an entry on each date. Overlapping screenshot rows were counted once, and “Teachable Moments” were excluded.
ㅤ
The count also does not establish that a particular condition remained continuously uncorrected between inspections. Its value lies in showing the extent of the documented record and placing recent findings within a longer history.
ㅤ
Public encounters and animal handling
ㅤ
Single Vision has a documented history of bear-cub and African serval encounters. A July 2020 East Coast Current feature reproduced facility tour information offering approximately 30 minutes with baby bears for a minimum donation of $100 per person. Its tour page, reviewed October 14, 2026, advertised serval interactions and a baby-serval meet-and-greet package.
ㅤ
Serval contact was explicitly included in the September 5, 2023 USDA citation under 2.131(c)(1), “Handling of animals,” marked “Repeat.” Inspectors described public interactions with an adult serval and other animals without identifiable effective restraint or established barriers. One photograph described in the report showed a serval’s head on a visitor’s chest.
ㅤ
These were documented handling concerns, not simply a disagreement about whether encounters are educational. The advertising does not, by itself, establish how every current encounter is conducted.
ㅤ
Veterinary care and daily health monitoring
ㅤ
USDA’s August 2022 penalty document alleged deficiencies in veterinary-care arrangements and failures to seek or provide appropriate care for several cats, including geriatric tigers, a jaguar, a cougar and a Geoffroy’s cat. It also addressed communication with the attending veterinarian.
ㅤ
In September 2026, inspectors found a skin lesion on a New Guinea singing dog that appeared more than 24 hours old but had not been identified by the facility. USDA stated that the missed observation prevented timely veterinary attention. The veterinarian was notified during inspection.
ㅤ
Enclosure safety and injury prevention
ㅤ
The September 2023, June 2026 and September 2026 reports reviewed for this article all mark enclosure maintenance as a repeat concern. Findings include exposed metal, damaged caging, digging beneath wire guards and protruding fasteners or wire. USDA described risks of entrapment, punctures, lacerations and broken limbs.
ㅤ
These findings span enclosures housing multiple species, including bears, cats, foxes, wolves, porcupines and kinkajous. September 2026 also documented exposed screws in macaw perches. The reports identify hazards; they do not establish that every hazard caused an injury.
ㅤ
Water, sanitation and pest control
ㅤ
The 2022 enforcement document described unsanitary water available to several species during an October 2020 inspection. In June 2026, a tiger’s only available water source contained dark green, murky water, with the tank’s sides and bottom obscured.
ㅤ
Both 2026 inspection reports marked pest control as a repeat citation. June’s findings involved flies on foxes with ear lesions; September’s involved numerous flies and rodent droppings on the floor and tables in the food-preparation area.
ㅤ
Bird welfare, records and oversight
ㅤ
The September 2023 report also cited the absence of an environmental enhancement plan for an umbrella cockatoo and three macaws. Such a plan addresses psychological well-being, extending care responsibilities beyond food and shelter.
ㅤ
USDA’s 2022 enforcement document additionally addressed incomplete animal records, unavailable inspection access and interference with inspectors. The document assessed an $8,850 penalty for alleged violations. Those enforcement allegations provide context; they have not been added to the 49-entry screenshot count, which would risk counting some events twice.
ㅤ
Accountability beyond the visitor experience
ㅤ
The value of this record extends beyond one encounter photograph or one recent inspection. It shows why visitor-facing claims about education, conservation and lifelong care should be evaluated alongside documented handling and husbandry findings.
ㅤ
The reviewed records establish historical findings, not current compliance. Meaningful follow-up requires documented corrections, preventive measures and subsequent inspection results. The animals’ needs continue after visitors leave, after photographs are shared and after an inspection ends.
Related Reading:
Jackson Zoo: The Zoological World Under Inspection
USDA findings at Jackson Zoo provide another case study in animal-care oversight, highlighting concerns about staffing and the resources needed to meet animals’ daily needs.
ㅤ
Evidence • Education • Accountability
How You Can Help:
Awareness is the first step toward meaningful change. Help advance evidence-based education, transparency and accountability by sharing this article with others.
Together, we can encourage a more informed conversation about the treatment and protection of wildlife.
