HAINES, Alaska (KTUU) – Steve Kroschel, owner of Kroschel Film Wildlife Center, is demanding the Alaska Department of Fish and Game remove any remaining animals at his facility, weeks after authorities seized dozens of animals from his Haines property.
“You must go back to your ‘crime scene’ and get the remaining animals immediately. NOW,” Kroschel wrote in an email dated July 16 to Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang.
The raid came after the wildlife park lost its USDA and state licenses due to animal enclosure safety concerns and failed inspections.
In December, Division of Wildlife Conservation Director Ryan Scott wrote a letter saying he was “highly concerned,” claiming Kroschel’s “animal welfare practices do not comply with the Animal Welfare Act.”
In total, Fish and Game reported removing 39 animals from Kroschel’s property during the raid between June 26 and 27. It is unclear how many remain at the park currently.
“An unusual configuration of interconnected enclosures, as well as conditions at the wildlife center made it difficult to locate and recover some of the smaller animals there,” according to an ADF&G press release.
“I not only love these animals, my care for their health and well-being will never be matched by the people they gave my stolen family to,” Steve told Alaska’s News Source over text. “The animals are all as doomed as I am.”
Two animals died following the raid. The rest have been transferred to the Alaska Zoo, the Wildlife Conservation Center and Bird TLC.
Kroschel said he is currently at a wildlife sanctuary in Russia, working on a documentary about “how the ADF&G destroyed a dream in America”.
“The Russia of 2025 is not Stalin-esque, but the violence at my park was,” he said.
Kroschel said a business associate is taking care of the remaining animals while they wait for ADFG to take action.
“ADF&G has not come yet but they better get there soon,” Kroschel wrote.
The department confirmed that it has not yet returned to Kroschel’s property.
“This is not a small undertaking, and we are currently determining the best path forward,” ADF&G spokesperson Shannon Mason said in an email.
The Department of Public Safety said the criminal investigation is ongoing and no charges have been filed at this time.
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