Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary legal battle; zoo seeks case dismissal

TOWN OF FARMINGTON, Wis. - A wildlife sanctuary in Washington County is defending itself in court, as Shalom Wildlife Zoo hoped a judge would throw out a case against it Wednesday, April 22.

At Shalom Wildlife Zoo in the Town of Farmington, visitors can see lions, tigers, bears and even water buffalo.

But for the past 14 months, the zoo has been at the center of a lawsuit.

Permit fight continues in court

What we know:

Here’s the fight:

Shalom had been operating under what’s known as a conditional use permit — which allows land use not automatically permitted under standard zoning.

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In January 2025, the Town of Farmington approved an updated permit for the zoo, opening the door for expansion, including space for special events and weddings.

In early 2025, a group of neighbors called "We Love Farmington" sued the town over that permit, later adding the zoo to the lawsuit. The suit argued the town’s zoning code did not allow zoos on land with that zoning designation.

But in December, the town amended its zoning code.

Now, both the zoo and the town are asking a Washington County judge to throw out the lawsuit.

Toll of the case

What they're saying:

"It’s very trying, obviously," said zoo co-owner David Fechter. "But, we have a lot of support from the community and so that’s just been keeping us going."

"The argument is: the town amended its zoning code last December now to allow zoological activities, so the conditional use permits that Shalom had been operating under, are now irrelevant, and they should be allowed to operate their business without any interference," said Matthew Fernholz, Shalom’s attorney. "Last December, the town amended the zoning code to say these are now permitted uses and are allowed. We argued to the court that, essentially, the plaintiffs’ claim is moot."

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The other side:

Attorneys for the group challenging the zoo did not respond to requests for comment, but in court argued against dismissing the case. They have also said the lawsuit is not intended to shut the zoo down.

Ruling timeline remains unclear

Dig deeper:

The judge did not say when a written ruling would be issued on whether the case will be dismissed.

Shalom has also filed a counterclaim against those suing them, seeking damages. They allege their opponents have harassed them and want them closed.

UPDATE: Shalom posted the following:

"Dear Shalom Supporters,

We are writing with updates on our two cases.

#1.) Today was the summary judgment hearing before the Washington County Circuit Court, Judge Ryan Hetzel. Shalom and the Town are asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit that Andrew Willetts and We Love Farmington (which is Leann Beehler, Bruce Beehler, and Andrew Willetts) filed against us last year. The Plaintiffs alleged that we were in violation of the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) that the Town granted us. But in December 2025, the Town amended its zoning code to permit "zoological activities" for properties zoned as agricultural (like Shalom). In other words, we no longer need a CUP, because the Town Code allows us to operate our business as a zoo. So we asked the court to dismiss the Plaintiffs’ lawsuit against us.

Today’s hearing lasted roughly an hour and the court heard argument from all sides. The judge said that he would issue written decision later. We will update everyone once we know the outcome. A written decision is the best decision in our opinion.

#2.) On the DNR determination that our creeks are navigable, our new counsel (which is the same lawyer representing us against Andrew Willetts and Beehlers) filed a notice of appeal on Friday. We are now going to the Court of Appeals, District II, and asking the court to reverse the trial court’s decision that our challenge to the DNR’s navigability determination was untimely. We feel very good about the merits of our case, because the DNR changed its previous decision from 1995 that our creeks are non-navigable. But we first need to convince the Court of Appeals that our case should move forward. We promise to keep everyone informed on what happens, but it will be several months before we received a decision from the Court of Appeals.

A big thanks and a big hug is for all of you who attended the ruling. With the courtroom at full capacity and overfull, everyone with a heart could feel the love. The Shalom Family is the best!"