Judge to hear zoo proposal

ROYAL, Neb. — A legal motion that contains a plan of how to dispose of Zoo Nebraska’s remaining assets and to wrap up its affairs will be heard in court this month.

Antelope County District Judge James Kube will consider the motion at 10:30 a.m. March 23.

The Northeast Nebraska Zoological Society operated Zoo Nebraska in Royal, which closed to the public in May 2007. The zoo’s operating license was revoked by the U.S. Department of Agriculture after four chimpanzees escaped from their enclosure while their pen was being cleaned in September 2005.

Included in the 43-page motion filed by Abigail Stempson of the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office is a plan for liquidating the zoo’s remaining assets.

Most of the animals and property have been relocated or disposed of, but legal disputes had challenged some of the actions and thwarted the final dissolution.

Among the challenges were attempts to keep the zoo’s nonprofit status valid, with talk of reopening it in another capacity. However, the filings submitted by Earleen Jensen of Royal, purportedly on behalf of the zoological society, have been declared null and void, according to court documents.

The motion suggests that the zoo’s three lots in Royal be sold through a silent auction.

Mark Fitzgerald, a Norfolk lawyer, has been appointed by Kube to oversee the auction. Under the scenario described in the motion, the bidding would be confidential until the bidding period was over.

Perhaps the most surprising part of the brief is the revelation of how few assets of value remain.

The largest piece of zoo property, what is known as the “Dawson property,” is to go to the Dawson family, according to court papers. The property was to belong to the zoo as long as it was operating but revert to the family that donated it in the event that the zoo closed.

The legal brief also says Kenneth “Junior” Schlueter, who formerly served as the volunteer director of the zoo, is the owner of the camel, one of the few remaining animals.

The findings indicate that the zoo has been administratively dissolved since June 2, 2007, when the Nebraska secretary of state administratively dissolved the zoological society for nonpayment of fees.

« Crime/Courts

Share