Commission rejects permit for Moapa zoo

Without a change of heart from the Clark County Commission, Roos-N-More is no more.

Commissioners on Wednesday rejected a special use permit for the zoo in Moapa, essentially closing the 9-acre attraction run by husband-and-wife veterinarians Jay and Valerie Holt.

"It's basically a cease-and-desist order," said Valerie Holt when reached by phone Wednesday night. "We can't do anything."

The Holts and their supporters are now trying to convince one of the six commissioners who voted against the permit to reconsider and request another hearing on the matter.

If that doesn't work, they will have no choice but to find new homes for their roughly 280 exotic animals. Valerie Holt said the county is giving them 60 days to start removing animals from the property and six months to have them all cleared out. Only domesticated pets and livestock such as goats, cows and donkeys may stay.

The zoo has been closed to the public since in January 2014, when a county inspection identified several code violations, including a lack of flush toilets or commercial septic system. None of the problems concerned the care or condition of the animals, which include camels, kangaroos, lemurs, monkeys, otters and porcupines.

A few weeks later, county officials agreed to let the Holts resume small private tours at Roos-N-More while a new bathroom facility and other improvements were made to accommodate larger crowds.

Valerie Holt said they have spent more than $300,000 over the past 18 months to bring the zoo up to county code. Much of that money was raised during a single well-attended fundraiser last year hosted by Zappos at its downtown Las Vegas headquarters.

But that work was not enough to sway commissioners.

Commissioner Tom Collins, who cast the only vote in favor of the permit for Roos-N-More, said he "didn't have anything nice to say" about what happened at the meeting, so he declined to say anything at all.

The Holts have operated a veterinary practice in Las Vegas since 1990. Their exotic animal collection began with a wallaby named Pogo that was Valerie's birthday present in 2002.

They moved out of the city to their current spread 55 miles north of Las Vegas because they needed more room for their menagerie. 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" programs.

County staff recommended the special use permit for Roos-N-More, with a number of conditions. In its report, staff noted an April U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection that found several problems, including two dirty enclosures, overgrown weeds and many flies.

Valerie Holt said she's protesting the USDA inspection.

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