FARMINGTON, Wis. — A big win for a wildlife sanctuary in Washington County.
The Town of Farmington board Tuesday passed an amendment to its zoning code, which now permits the Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary to engage in “zoological activities.”
This comes after two neighbors filed a lawsuit against Shalom and the town, which intends to shut down the zoo. The lawsuit claims the wildlife sanctuary is not following the township’s conditional use permit.
“Our hope is that this new ordinance will moot out the claims raised against us in the lawsuit by our neighbors,” the organization said in a Facebook post. “Because our business is now allowed to engage in zoological activities, we no longer need to seek a conditional use permit to operate. So the neighbors who have sued us have no reason to say we cannot operate.”
The amended zoning code defines “zoological activities” to include such activities as breeding animals, hosting visitor centers, offering trails, selling food and beverages, and hosting special events such as weddings.
The legal case is still pending.
