The complaint states that the AAD, having recorded numerous violations at the zoo, bases its position on inspection reports and the conclusions of the Zoo Commission, which, according to the complainant, were unlawfully formed and are therefore invalid.
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The complainant notes that both inspections involved an illegally composed commission that did not have the necessary authority, so both inspections are considered to have been conducted unlawfully.
The zoo rejects the AAD’s claims regarding animal keeping conditions, their feeding, and other violations.
The complaint states that the ban on admitting visitors is the destruction of the zoo. The AAD requested the complaint be dismissed as unfounded.
“The complainant unjustifiably claims that the composition of the commission involved in the inspection of the Klaipėda zoo conducted by the department did not meet legal requirements,” the panel of judges stated.
The judges also rejected other arguments presented by the zoo that filed the complaint.
“Considering the above circumstances and the entirety of the written evidence in the case, no grounds were found to declare the decision of the Environmental Protection Department dated July 23, 2025, unlawful, and the complainant Klaipėda zoo’s complaint is dismissed as unfounded,” the court decision states.
The decision can be appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania.
As reported by BNS, this private zoo has come under the scrutiny of the Environmental Protection Department more than once.
Last year, about 200 various animals were taken from it. The prosecutor’s office has initiated a pre-trial investigation regarding the death of specially protected animal species at the Klaipėda zoo.
An unscheduled inspection at this zoo revealed that from October 2024 to last June, 31 animals died. Among the deceased animals were a black-capped capuchin, leopards, lions, pumas, American bison, lynxes, cranes, and others. Most of these animals belong to protected species.
Environmentalists last year ordered the zoo to be closed for a period of time.
BNS wrote that the zoo lacked acquisition documents for some animals and also violated keeping conditions – animals were kept in enclosures that were too small and were improperly fed.
On February 3 of this year, environmentalists again conducted an unscheduled inspection there to assess the animal keeping conditions during the cold season. It was found that the conditions were insufficient and animal welfare was not ensured.
