Roos-N-More in Moapa cleared to reopen with restrictions

The 'roos have won a reprieve, at least for now.

A popular, family-owned animal attraction in Moapa with a history of permitting issues was cleared to reopen on Wednesday, but Clark County officials made it clear they will be watching the operation closely.

The county's new special-use permit for the Roos-N-More zoo comes with 34 separate conditions and restrictions, including strict limits on the total number of animals and an outright ban on breeding.

"Remember I said no second chances," said Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick, who worked extensively with county staff to find a way for the zoo to come into compliance and stay in business. "They have to get this right."

The small zoo 50 miles northeast of Las Vegas has been closed to the general public since in January 2014, when a county inspection identified several code violations, including a lack of flush toilets or commercial septic system.

Jay and Valerie Holt, the husband-and-wife veterinarians who own the zoo, said they have spent more than $300,000 since then to bring the Roos-N-More up to code. Much of that money was raised during a single well-attended fundraiser last year at the Zappos downtown Las Vegas headquarters.

But initially that work was not enough to sway commissioners.

In August, the commission declined to issue a new operating permit for Roos-N-More, effectively closing the zoo and stripping the Holts of the revenue they need to support their menagerie.

The zoo's supporters responded by flooding the commissioners with calls and emails urging them to reconsider, which they did on Wednesday.

Roos-N-More will only be allowed to open on weekends and holidays, and no more than 200 visitors and 150 animals are allowed on the property at any one time, though the Holts will not be forced to get rid of the animals they already have to get down to the 150 limit.

The zoo is currently home to almost 300 animals, including camels, kangaroos, lemurs, monkeys, otters, porcupines and a variety of birds and reptiles.

The Holts also will be required to make some additional improvements, obtain some level of zoo accreditation from a national group, and get all their paperwork in order with county, state and federal regulators.

Kirkpatrick said that when she started investigating the situation, the Holts were unable to provide much of the documentation she asked to see.

Their attorney, Chris Kaempfer, said his clients "just let things lapse that they need to pay a little more attention to."

But others argued the problems run deeper than that.

In a letter to commissioners Wednesday, the Humane Society said the permit should be rejected, calling Roos-N-More a "substandard zoo" with numerous citations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act.

Local animal rights activist Linda Faso warned commissioners that reopening the zoo will only lead to bigger problems down the road. Though the Holts are good people with good intentions, Faso said, "this is a poorly run business that is doomed to fail," leaving dozens of exotic animals "up for grabs."

Kaempfer said the Holts are now working with the USDA to address the agency's concerns. Kirkpatrick said bringing the zoo into full USDA compliance is one of the conditions of the new county permit, which will be up for administrative progress checks every two weeks and a full review by the commission in six months.

The Holts have operated a veterinary practice in Las Vegas since 1990. They began collecting exotic animals in 2002, when Jay gave Valerie a wallaby named Pogo for her birthday.

They moved out of the city to their current spread 55 miles north of Las Vegas because they needed more room for their animals. In 2008, they started opening their gates to the public once a month or so and offering private tours, field trips and mobile "zoo-to-you" educational programs.

Contact Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Find him on Twitter: @RefriedBrean.