The GuZoo has received a 60-day permit to allow owner Lynn Gustafson to find new homes for his wild and exotic animals.
Dave Ealey, issues manager for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, said a permit was issued on Thursday to give Gustafson the time he needs to find new homes for his animals.
Along with the permit, Gustafson is getting help from the department to connect with qualified facilities across North America, said Ealey.
Any facility accepting animals must meet qualifications of the jurisdiction where it is located, he said.
Discovery Wildlife Park and the Calgary Zoo have both indicated that they would see whether any of Gustafson’s animals could be moved into their facilities.
Animals are to be dispersed in accordance with the decommissioning plan Gustafson himself would have written in order to receive his zoo development permit, said Ealey. Conditions of the plan are a matter of private business, so the province will not release those details, he said.
The province ordered that the GuZoo be decommissioned on June 1, following an internal review of an investigation by the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
While association members reviewing the site found that while the animals were in good condition, there were safety issues for visitors and staff, health risks related to the commingling of different species of animals and poor records kept of the individual animals housed on the farm, located on Hwy 21 between Trochu and Three Hills.
The GuZoo was first licensed in 1990.