THREE HILLS — The Alberta government has issued a new operating permit to a roadside zoo that was to be shut down over animal care concerns.
The GuZoo animal farm near Three Hills was ordered closed in the spring of 2011 based on a review that outlined problems with how the zoo was being run.
But the Gustafson family, which owns GuZoo, appealed and a judge allowed the zoo to keep operating under strict conditions while the case went through the courts.
Last week, the province met with the Gustafsons and decided that the zoo can stay in business as long as it meets certain conditions.
Regardless, the owner of the business has decided to keep the doors closed to the general public for now.
“I know things are going to get radical, so we’re going to close for the season,” Lynn Gustafson said Tuesday.
The animal welfare group Zoocheck Canada said it is unbelievable that GuZoo has been given permission to stay open given its track record.
“It’s absolutely shocking,” Zoocheck spokeswoman Julie Woodyer said from Toronto. “This facility has never been in compliance with Alberta zoo standards since they were developed back in 2005.
“The facility is a most notorious Canadian roadside zoo. Probably the worst in Canada, and that’s particularly shocking when Alberta has the best standards in the country, but the province refuses to enforce them.”
But Alberta government spokeswoman Jessica Potter said an inspection of the zoo’s operations in July showed no problems with the health or condition of the animals.
“We found no contraventions of the Wildlife Act and no animals were found to be in distress during those inspections,” Potter said. “That’s why we’ve decided to discontinue the judicial review of the decommissioning order and re-permit the zoo.”
Woodyer said the wording of that July inspection should be scrutinized.
“They didn’t say that the facility was found to be in compliance with the law,” she said. “They said they didn’t see any animals suffering.
“Now that’s not surprising since they preannounced their visit and animals are culled at the facility or moved once they know that they’re coming out there.”
Bill Gustafson said some conditions that had been placed on the zoo in 2011 have been lifted “such as having to get rid of the animals and having to ask before we bring something in for feed or whatever.
“And we can do petting zoos again with our domestic animals without having to get permission to do that.”
The Gustafsons have operated the zoo for more than 20 years. It has about 400 animals that include tigers, lions, bears and elk.
Rules that GuZoo must still follow include separate enclosures for feeding wild animals and completing renovations to a fence around the farm’s perimeter.
Potter, a spokeswoman for Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, said the government is confident the zoo will adhere to the conditions of the new permit. She wouldn’t say what will happen if those standards aren’t met.
Woodyer said documents Zoocheck obtained through Freedom of Information legislation suggests the government has known about problems at GuZoo for a long time and she thinks the government didn’t want that to come out in a courtroom.
GuZoo has been the focus of animal abuse concerns since it first opened in 1990. (CHQR, CHED, CTV Edmonton, The Canadian Press)