PUERTO RICO (WENY) -- On Sunday, January 28th, CBS' 60 Minutes with share the story of a Colorado animal sanctuary that rescued animals that were left in terrible conditions in a Puerto Rican Zoo for five or more years. Bob Misulich, a part of WENY's parent company, Lilly Broadcasting, was allowed into the zoo to film the rescue. 

"After Hurricane Maria, a zoo in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico was basically shut down," says Bob Misulich, Lilly Broadcasting. "Then the government stopped funding the zoo because it was too much of an expense. After they shut the zoo down there was no government funding, these animals were basically left on their own in their cages for five years."

Four months ago at the end of 2023, Misulich was there and accompanied by a CBS News crew filming the 'Wild Animal Sanctuary, from Denver, Colorado to rescue the animals. He saw the horrifying living conditions these animals were living in.

"I walked into the zoo and it was kind of like walking into a bit of a graveyard because you could tell it was a beautiful landscape at one point. but then when you go in you see where the animals are living and their conditions." 

Musulich in an interview with his sister station, WENY News, says animals like peacocks were just roaming around the property freely. Additionally, Camels were described as living in "big piles of dung." The rescue operation was not a small task, it was a major undertaking.

"The most gripping part would have obviously been. Going into the lion cage with guys with tranquilizer guns that were, you know, shooting these lions, you know, point blank and seeing these lions who were at one point roaring and a couple {of} minutes later, just laying there with their tongues out and being dragged out of, uh, of the cage. So that was tough to see."

As the weekly episode inches closer and closer to its air date, Misulich hopes to see how the animals are doing in their new home. 

"Hopefully with the 60 minutes piece coming up, they're going to show like where these animals are now and, and the environment that they're living now." 

CBS' 60 Minutes will air at 7 p.m. on  Sunday.