Halloween at the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Texas, is over, but the complaints about it are still coming in.
A Change.org petition launched Oct. 31 accused the zoo's seasonal decorations of being too frightening for young visitors, describing "simulated mutilated body parts, headless figures" and "menacing characters hanging from trees" among the displays. By Nov. 10, the petition had collected more than 500 signatures.
"Children leaving in tears"
The petition's organizers, who were not named in it, said parents had reported their kids being frightened well after leaving the zoo. "Children leaving in tears, expressing fear at bedtime," the petition stated, adding that organizers had reached out directly to the zoo's president and CEO to request changes.
The zoo confirmed this week, via social media, that it was aware of the backlash. Officials said guests had told them some of the Halloween-season decor was "too much for small children," and that the zoo "strives to always be a family-friendly resource to our community." Caldwell said the feedback would be factored into planning for next year's event, though it did not commit to specific changes.
The dispute is a familiar seasonal flashpoint: haunted attractions, corn mazes and zoos around the country regularly tune their Halloween offerings somewhere between family-friendly and genuinely scary, and the line moves depending on who is complaining. For Caldwell, a zoo that bills itself as a community resource year-round, this year's line apparently landed in the wrong place for at least a few hundred visitors — with twelve months to adjust it before the next haunted trail opens.
