ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – The legal battle continues between the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center and some of its neighbors.
Stan Seymour, Jane Seymour, Adrian Maver and Blaine Creasy are suing the center and the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors over a special use permit for a new building to help rescue and rehabilitate raptors.
"Before its released, we want to know that it can capture food and it has to build up strength. This is a lovely cage that is oval so they can fly, bank and turn directions and allow us to do a couple at a time," said Sabrina Garvin, executive director of the wildlife center.
The suit alleges the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors should not have approved a a new building on the center's property. The suit states the property, including the new cage, is not in line with current ordinances and the board's decision was made without proper consideration. The board approved the permit in September with three conditions, including where it can be built and its appearance.
"We're a nonprofit, and every penny that we spend on something other than the wildlife depletes the center's resources," said Garvin.
We did speak with the Seymours about their side of the story. They provided us a statement that said, "The fight is not with the wildlife center. They do great work. The fight is with the county not following its own ordinances."
They said some of the social media comments directed at them have been difficult to see.
This is the second pending lawsuit between the wildlife center and these neighbors. The first one focuses on the county's decision to decline to hear their appeal of the original zoning of the property, which they said should have never been issued in the first place.