Alberta Tourism and owners of the GuZoo near Three Hills have reached a deal to allow the zoo to reopen.
A judicial hearing set for Jan. 31 has been adjourned indefinitely, says Alberta Tourism spokesman Dave Ealey.
“They have determined they don’t want to pursue the hearing stage,” said Ealey. “It’s under adjournment right now but we have conditions as to how the zoo will be able to operate.”
He said the zoo, which is currently closed for the winter, will have to follow court-ordered conditions to ensure visitors and animals in the zoo have no contact and the animals are well cared for, Ealey said.
Ealey said the conditions include:
• Maintaining commercial general liability insurance of not less than $2 million per occurrence;
• Allowing access to zoo premises by government of Alberta representatives to carry out their responsibilities;
• All animals that are not wildlife or controlled animals, but that have co-mingled with wildlife or controlled animals on the zoo premises, can only be dispersed in the same way as wildlife or controlled animals, unless otherwise agreed to by the Minister’s representative;
• No transportation of animals onto or off of the premises is allowed without prior authorization;
• The operator of the zoo must comply with Alberta Standards for Zoos;
• The operator must notify Drumheller District Fish and Wildlife office of any injuries caused by animals to visitors or zoo employees, within 48 hours;
• The operator must notify the Drumheller District Fish and Wildlife office and the designated zoo veterinarian of any injuries, illness or deaths of animals on the zoo premises, within 48 hours;
• The operator must notify the Drumheller District Fish and Wildlife office of the discovery of any escape of animals from the zoo, within 3 hours;
• The operator must make the effort to contain, recapture, secure or if necessary kill any escaped animals;
• Record-keeping must be secure and complete as per the requirements of the Alberta Zoo Standards, including veterinarian reports;
• Inventory and progeny from breeding of the wildlife or controlled animals must be documented;
• The public must not be allowed to have contact with specific wildlife or controlled animals, including cats, raccoons, weasels, bears and monkeys.
GuZoo has been licensed since 1990 and with more than 400 animals, it claims to be one of the largest private zoos in the country.
Responding to complaints, the government announced last June it would not allow the rural zoo’s owner, Lynn Gustafson, to continue his operation. Instead, it granted the zoo a seven-day permit, allowing it enough time to decommission the attraction.
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