A Washington County wolf sanctuary is asking a judge to pause its court-ordered eviction while it pursues an appeal, with a hearing scheduled for Thursday, March 5.

Seacrest Wolf Preserve, which has housed wolves and other animals for 25 years, with a focus on education and conservation, lost a legal battle against the property owner on February 23. The court found that the sanctuary failed to meet the lease requirements for liability and business interruption insurance, and ordered it to vacate the property by March 15 and to immediately halt all tours and public interaction with animals.

The dispute centers on the preserve’s failure to secure the $1 million liability policy and $500,000 in business interruption coverage required under its lease. The property was sold two years ago to Leon DeCook, who purchased the roughly 400-acre site for $2 million. DeCook argued that, given public interaction with wolves, even higher coverage would be warranted.

The preserve argued that obtaining such coverage is not feasible for an organization of its nature, saying insurers are unwilling to provide $1 million in liability coverage for facilities where people interact with wolves. Its current coverage carries limits of $100,000 with $200,000 aggregated.

In a statement Tuesday, the preserve said a stay of eviction while the appeal is pending would ensure the safety of the wolves and other small animals, and that the organization is also pursuing construction of a new facility, though it lacks the time needed to complete one before the current deadline.

The preserve is home to wolves, raccoons, opossums, skunks, foxes, and other native wildlife. While the organization says it has access to land where animals could be moved, the challenge is funding the cost of transport, fencing, and labor needed to complete the relocation. A GoFundMe has been launched to assist those efforts.

Preserve leadership has warned that without immediate financial help, not all of the animals may survive if placements cannot be secured before the March 15 deadline.

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