Albury's Razoo Animal Sanctuary has been given the green light to resume tours after facing a temporary closure.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
That comes after Thurgoona's Rachel and Brent Alexander were told to cease all tours on February 27 after a handful of complaints from surrounding neighbours to Albury Council.
The pair was left "devastated" at the news.
On Thursday, April 18, they received an email stating there would take no formal enforcement on the zoo if a development plan for the property was lodged before May 31.
Mrs Alexander said she had been communicating over the course of a few weeks with Albury Council over the complaints.
'Property too small to house animals'
"We know this won't be a quick process," she said.
"It's another battle we have to go through.
"When I received the email, I cried happy tears because all we want to do is help people."
She said it had been an "upsetting" ordeal "but I'm so glad the council has lifted the closure."
Mrs Alexander said the complaints outlined that the property had "busloads of people" coming on-site, which caused dust on unsealed roads as well as a bad smell coming from the food scraps given to the animals.
"We were also told our property was too small to house the animals, which is not true - we have 40 acres," she said.
"It made no sense."
She said disability groups came to the zoo twice a week for educational and healing purposes and that with the closure, it was "disheartening" to see all their progress they had made was lost.
"But we've heard they're very excited to come back for their first session on Tuesday, April 23.
"We know it's not only a sanctuary for the animals but for the groups too," she said.
The pair said they would continue to push through and "we have high hopes for the future".