A protest is planned to Save the Wild Animal Park in Chittenango.

Park owner Jeff Taylor has been sued for violating town code and zoning laws with the new drive thru safari, a move to keep the gates open. "We busted our asses building the drive thru and invested a lot of money as a last ditch effort to save the business my family and I have dedicated our lives to building."

"Small businesses like The Wild are what make our community great," says Sullivan Town Supervisor John M. Becker. "Shutting down for months due to COVID-19 has hurt many of our businesses and we want them back open sooner rather than later, however that does not give any business owner the right to forego the safety of the community and not abide by the laws in place. Over the years the Town has approved every request that was properly applied for by Mr. Taylor."

If Taylor has to shut down the safari, he fears he won't be able to continue. "At this point I am going to sell the zoo and all my properties. As of right now 2020 will be my final year open."

The community doesn't want to see that happen, so a peaceful protest is planned for Wednesday, June 10th at the Town of Sullivan clerk's office on Lakeport Road in Chittenango, at 12pm.

A Change.org petition to "show the Town of Sullivan that by discouraging this wonderful place they are doing more harm to the community than Jeff is," already has more than 35,000 signatures in less than 12 hours.

We had an opportunity to take a tour inside the Wild Animal Park.

If you'd like to contact Town of Sullivan Supervisor or any board members:

John Becker (315) 687-9190
John E. Bruzuszkiewicz (315) 633-5594
Thomas J. Kopp (315) 687-9626
Kerry Ranger (315) 633-9057
Jeff Martin (315) 447-5886



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