MOAPA, Nev. (AP) - A husband-and-wife team of veterinarians said they hope to reopen a small zoo they have been operating in rural southern Nevada, but it will take an expensive septic upgrade to do it.
Roos-N-More owners Jay and Valerie Holt closed their 3-acre zoo to the public on Friday, after Clark County code enforcers determined it didn’t meet commercial sanitation standards.
“As far as open-to-the-public zoo days, right now there are none scheduled,” Valerie Holt says on a voicemail message. She refers to a septic system “noncompliance issue” with the health district and says they’re working to get the zoo reopened. She adds that it will be expensive.
The couple didn’t immediately respond Friday to messages seeking comment.
Valerie Holt told the Las Vegas Review-Journal (https://bit.ly/1aSsWgI ) they were told they need a commercial septic system and flush toilets before they can reopen to the public. She estimated the cost could be $100,000.
Holt said they still have clearance from the county to conduct “off-site programs” with their animals.
County spokesman Dan Kulin said the code violations didn’t involve the health or treatment of the nearly 400 animals the Holts have in Moapa, about 55 miles north of Las Vegas.
Roos-N-More is accredited with the Zoological Association of America and licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the exhibition and captive breeding of exotic animals.
The couple says the collection of exotic animals began with a Bennett’s wallaby named Pogo that Jay gave Valerie as a birthday present in 2002.
Today, they care for several varieties of kangaroos, plus monkeys, otters, sloths, llamas, camels, a zebra, horses, cows, sheep and goats. The menagerie also includes birds and snakes, but they don’t keep large predators or animals known to attack people.
The zoo operates as a nonprofit, open to the public several days per month. The Holts also offer private tours, field trips and mobile “zoo-to-you” programs.
___
Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, https://www.lvrj.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.