CALGARY – The GuZoo Animal Farm has temporarily closed and says it’s getting rid of all its wildlife and licenced animals.
A voicemail message on the Three Hills farm’s answering machine says:
“We will be dispersing all of the licenced and wildlife animals. We had wanted to allow the public to say their last good-bye to their favourites but the government will not allow the public here until all of the licenced and wildlife animals are gone. Once that happens we are hoping to re-open again. Of course family and friends are welcome to come at any time.”
The farm received a temporary 30-day permit from the Alberta government on Tuesday, including a list of conditions the family-owned and operated zoo needs to meet to stay open past the 30 days.
If conditions aren’t met, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development spokesperson Duncan MacDonnell said the zoo will likely not get approval for a licence renewal, and would therefore be shut down. MacDonnell declined to provide specifics on conditions, but said deficiencies needed to be addressed in regards to animal healthcare, animal care, animal protection, as well as public and staff safety.
MacDonnell told The Canadian Press the province did not order the removal of animals, but told it to close for 30 days so it can address the deficiencies.
An animal welfare group says it’s worried that homes won’t be found for the animals, including lions, a tiger and a baboon, and they could be killed.
It’s not clear what animals the zoo might feature if it re-opens.
MacDonnell said issues began in 2011 when GuZoo had its permit cancelled and was given a three-year interim permit that expired April 1, 2014. The zoo failed to meet conditions correcting deficiencies, and so were issued a one-year permit that expired yesterday.
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As of March 2, 2015, MacDonnell said the government wasn’t satisfied with progress made on meeting the conditions, which is why only 30 more days were allotted for the zoo to bring operations up to standard.
With a file from The Canadian Press
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