It doesn't appear that the people who run this place know anything. The USA is a rich first-world country with well-established animal welfare laws. How does a zoo like this even exist?
Some of the states actually have very lax animal welfare laws, especially in the southern United States where you find most of these dumps.
Agreed. There is some federal legislation and authority over animal welfare, but it is seen in the US as a state issue, and every state has its own laws. That being said, I would be surprised if any of the 50 lack a roadside collection or two. In some states, you don't even need a license to own dangerous animals like tigers or bears.
I've been going through the photos that I posted from my 2015 visit to Tiger Safari and I'm still shocked 5 years later. This coati exhibit is appalling, and the fencing on some of the big cat enclosures is downright scary! It's not just the god-awful roadside southern zoos in the U.S. that are atrocious, but as I would find out on later road trips the northern zoos (including many in Michigan and Wisconsin) are even worse!