Judge dismisses Shalom Wildlife Zoo zoning lawsuit

A Washington County judge has thrown out a lawsuit from neighbors who tried to stop Shalom Wildlife Zoo from operating and expanding on land zoned for agriculture.

Circuit Judge Ryan Hetzel ruled July 10 that nearly all the neighbors’ claims are moot after the Town of Farmington rewrote its zoning code in December to permit zoo operations on agricultural parcels of 100 acres or more.

Shalom is a popular attraction owned by David and Lana Fechter. It opened in 1979 near West Bend and houses more than 80 species of animals on 100 acres, including controversial exotic animals like white tigers.

A group of residents, called We Love Farmington, sued the town and the zoo in February 2025. It argued officials wrongly approved a conditional use permit, a special approval granted on a case-by-case basis, that let Shalom keep operating and build a new event venue.

But in December, the town board added “zoological activities” as a permitted use on agricultural parcels of 100 acres or more. That put Shalom within the rules and made the disputed permit irrelevant, Hetzel found.

He dismissed six of the seven claims on those grounds, including the argument that exotic animals were banned on farmland. The updated code lifted that ban for parcels larger than five acres.

The remaining claim targeted an abandoned building on zoo property that the group says sits in a floodplain. Hetzel dismissed it because the plaintiffs never explained how the building harmed them, which the law requires.

The group also argued the zoning change was spot zoning, the practice of granting one property privileges its neighbors don’t get.

Hetzel said that argument came too late and in the wrong place – the group should have raised it with the town before bringing it to court.

The ruling is a final order, which means the group can appeal. The court will hold a scheduling conference Aug. 6.

The dispute renewed scrutiny of the facility, which calls itself a sanctuary but is not accredited by any major zoo or sanctuary organization. Animal welfare experts have criticized its breeding of white tigers, which are produced through inbreeding and prone to health problems.

Shalom’s Facebook page has more than 400,000 followers, and supporters rallied behind the zoo throughout the lawsuit.