Wyoming

Why Wyoming Is One Of Only Two States Without A Zoo

Published

2 years ago

June 2, 2024

Why Wyoming Is One Of Only Two States Without A Zoo

What’s one thing Wyoming and Vermont have in common? Besides being the two least-populated states, they’re the only ones without a zoo.

That’s not counting the wildlife show that is Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, particularly in the summer tourism season when bear and bison jams are common.

And you’re likely to be played by Limpy the Coyote for some sympathetic snacks (don’t feed the wildlife). But the roads aren’t zoos, even if too many tourists treat them like they are.

Wyoming has had several small zoos earlier in its history, like the Pioneer Park Zoo in Sheridan, but they’ve been gone for decades.

Anyone who wants to see lions and tigers must go out of state, although there are plenty of Wyoming bears people can see, but to behind the safety of an enclosure.

That’s why there won’t be any Wyoming listings like the ones posted by National Land Realty in North Carolina. The real estate company has two zoological properties for sale, complete with small arks of exotic animals.

Anyone buying the 186-acre Zootastic of Lake Norman or the 66-acre Aloha Safari Park, both in North Carolina, will get more than 300 species of exotic animals and the infrastructure to care for, exhibit and potentially profit from them.

The menageries include giraffes, antelope, hyenas and many other critters, in addition to the typical lions, tigers and bears.

If some enterprising Wyomingite decided to buy one of these zoos and move it to the Cowboy State, it would be doable, but difficult.

Among other things, creating a new zoological park in Wyoming would require permits — a lot of permits. But there’s more to it than that.

Domestic, Domesticated And Permitted

Any animals in a Wyoming zoo would fall under the jurisdiction of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and there is a litany of permits and regulations for importing and possessing exotic wildlife.

But the main reason there isn’t a zoo here is that there hasn’t been a sustained effort to establish one.

“Historically, some have tried to (open a private zoo) in the past and not gotten permitted for zoos and wildlife farms,” Game and Fish Lander Region spokesperson Rene Schell told Cowboy State Daily. “But they could, and each animal would be permitted (or prohibited) individually and on a case-by-case basis.”

According to Wyoming law, owning living wildlife requires a permit unless it has been deemed exempt or prohibited.

Exempt animals have been designated as “domestic” or “domesticated,” and there are some exotic animals in both categories.

For instance, the same exemption for cats, dogs, horses and other “domestic animals” includes zebu, a South Asian cattle breed. The state of Wyoming also considers bison domestic, so long as they aren’t wild.

Llamas and alpacas are exempt exotic animals on Wyoming’s domesticated list, which is why they can occasionally be seen on ranches throughout the Cowboy State.

Chinchillas, ostriches, emus, Bactrian and dromedary camels, and zebras are also exempt domesticated animals.

Domestic and domesticated animals are specifically exempt from Game and Fish Chapter 10, which states that “except as otherwise specified or exempted in this regulation, a permit from the department is required prior to importation, possession, confinement or transportation of any living warm-blooded wildlife.”

Any exotic animal that isn’t domestic or domesticated requires extensive permitting to legally enter and stay in Wyoming, let alone as a long-term resident in a zoo or safari park. Pachyderms, felids and unusual ungulates require a permit or two.

Aloha Safari Park is a 66-acre zoo for sale in North Carolina. (Land.com)
Zooastic of Lake Norman is a 186-acre zoo complex for sale in North Carolina. (Land.com)

Exhibiting Exotics

Patricia Wyer is the director of the Broken Bandit Wildlife Center in Cheyenne. In addition to domestic horses, raccoons and other Wyoming wildlife kept and rehabilitated at her facility, she said she also has some “permitted exotics” that don’t appear on the Cowboy State’s exempt lists.

“We have coatimundis, a crab-eating raccoon from South America and a permitted bobcat,” she told Cowboy State Daily.

But Broken Bandit doesn’t keep these animals with the intent to display them. Wyer doesn’t consider her wildlife center a zoo, nor does Wyoming Game and Fish. Nevertheless, her facility must adhere to the regulations laid out by the department.

“They dictate what our enclosure sizes need to be and what kind of stuff needs to be incorporated in their enclosures,” she said. “They also dictate the required care, from spaying and neutering to microchipping, that kind of stuff.”

There’s no overall permit covering the care and keeping of exotic animals. Instead, Wyer has a specialty permit for each exotic at the center.

Coatimundis are distant relatives of raccoons that live in South America and the southeastern United States. Wyer has to keep her group secure, as they could wreak havoc if they ever escaped.

“In the off chance they were to get out, they could wipe out an entire endangered species,” she said. “They couldn’t survive in the wintertime but could destroy a colony of black-footed ferrets.”

Wyer also said several non-permissible animals, including some zoological staples, are forbidden under state regulations.

“Large cats, like tigers and mountain lions, are not permissible animals (for private ownership),” she said. “I also think some non-native hoofstock are (non-permissible) because they have different diseases that can be transmitted through certain types of animals.”

Many people choose to ignore Wyoming’s laws and regulations, especially if there’s a financial incentive to do so. But Schell said the department hasn’t had many run-ins with exotic animals.

“We have had pet fish released into various ponds around the state,” she said. “We found a caiman in a pond in Cheyenne.”

Passing Permits

So hypothetically, could a Wyomingite buy a complete zoo of exotic animals? Yes, but it’d be a potential nightmare of permitting.

Wyoming State Statute 23-1-302 gives the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission the authority “to regulate or prohibit the importation of exotic species, small game animals, fur-bearing animals, protected animals, game birds, migratory birds, protected birds and fish into Wyoming, and to regulate the importation of big or trophy game animals into Wyoming only for exhibition purposes or for zoos.”

“The Department of Agriculture would oversee those animals defined as livestock or domesticated animals,” Schell said. “Each permit application the Wyoming Game and Fish would receive would be approved case-by-case.”

Essentially, the commission could approve or deny any animal for a Wyoming zoo, even if it’s potentially non-permissible for private ownership. That could be a potential green light for Colossal Biosciences if it ever attempts to rewild wooly mammoths in the Cowboy State.

However, Schell said the permits would be issued to the person, not the animal.

“The permits would not transfer with the sale of the property or business,” she said. “They are assigned to an individual.”

That’s also the case in North Carolina. The person or entity that buys either of the two zoological parks for sale would be required to obtain a Class C- Exhibitor permit from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Wyer said the same process would apply to anyone who wanted to purchase the Broken Bandit Wildlife Center and its animals, but she doesn’t think it would be difficult for the right buyer.

“If somebody were to take over the operation, they would have to be able to be approved and permitted through Wyoming Game and Fish,” she said. “I believe some of the permits require background checks and that kind of stuff, but as long as they’re approved through Wyoming Game and Fish, the transfer wouldn’t be very difficult.”

The 66-acre Aloha Safari Park in Harnett County, North Carolina, comes complete with everything a new zoo owner needs, including animals. (National Land Realty via Land.com)
The 66-acre Aloha Safari Park in Harnett County, North Carolina, comes complete with everything a new zoo owner needs, including animals. (National Land Realty via Land.com)
The 66-acre Aloha Safari Park in Harnett County, North Carolina, comes complete with everything a new zoo owner needs, including animals. (National Land Realty via Land.com)
The 66-acre Aloha Safari Park in Harnett County, North Carolina, comes complete with everything a new zoo owner needs, including animals. (National Land Realty via Land.com)

We Bought A Zoo

In the 2011 film “We Bought A Zoo,” Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson endure the bureaucratic nitpicks of a strict USDA inspector to open a zoo, enduring through the power of love and family. The movie was loosely based on the true story of the Dartmoor Zoological Park bought by a British family in 2006.

If the same story were to unfold in Wyoming, Damon’s tribulations with the USDA wouldn’t engender much sympathy. He’d know what he was getting into when he signed the dotted line.

Schell said the extensive permitting process ensures a zoo full of exotic animals in Wyoming wouldn’t endanger the state’s native wildlife. Any issues raised by Wyoming Game and Fish or the USDA are necessary to ensure the safety and survival of the animals on both sides of the fence.

“Some parameters that our permitting section would consider are diseases these animals could carry that may threaten the wildlife in the state,” she said, “level of containment difficulty, the level of difficulty to meet humane living conditions for the possessed species, animal and public safety concerns upon escape or illegal release, just to name a few.”

The bottom line is there’s nothing’s stopping someone from establishing a zoo in Wyoming.

The catch is finding someone with the money to do it and patience to plow through a mountain of permitting.

In the meantime, Wyomingites will have to make do watching the plentiful videos of visitors behaving badly around wildlife in Yellowstone and Grand Teton.

Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.

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Wyoming

Casper veteran David Giralt joins race for Wyoming U.S. House seat

Published

11 hours ago

February 27, 2026

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Casper veteran David Giralt joins race for Wyoming U.S. House seat

CASPER, Wyo. — David Giralt, a Casper-raised military veteran and conservative Republican, has announced his candidacy for Wyoming’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The congressional seat is being vacated by Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman, who launched a campaign in December for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by retiring Sen. Cynthia Lummis. […]

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Wyoming

Rivalries and Playoff Positioning Highlight Week 11 Wyoming Girls Basketball Slate

Published

23 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Rivalries and Playoff Positioning Highlight Week 11 Wyoming Girls Basketball Slate

It’s Week 11 in the 2026 Wyoming prep girls’ basketball season. That means it’s the end of the regular season. 3A and 4A schools have their final game or games to determine seeding before the regional tournament, or if a team is locked into a position, one last chance to fine-tune before the postseason. Games are spread across four days.

WYOPREPS WEEK 11 GIRLS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE 2026

Every game on the slate is a conference matchup. Several rivalry contests are part of this week’s schedule, such as East against Central, Cody at Powell, Lyman hosting Mountain View, and Rock Springs at Green River, just to name a few. Here is the Week 11 schedule of varsity games WyoPreps has. All schedules are subject to change. If you see a game missing, please email david@wyopreps.com.

CLASS 4A

Final Score: Laramie 68 Cheyenne South 27 (conference game)

CLASS 3A

Final Score: Lyman 40 Mountain View 26 (conference game)

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CLASS 4A

Final Score: Evanston 41 Riverton 39 (conference game)

Final Score: Natrona County 42 Kelly Walsh 38 (conference game) – Peach Basket Classic

Final Score: #4 Thunder Basin 64 Campbell County 32 (conference game)

CLASS 3A

Final Score: #1 Cody 77 Worland 33 (conference game) – 5 different Fillies with a 3, and Hays led the way with 34 points.

Final Score: #2 Lander 49 Lyman 34 (conference game)

Final Score: #4 Wheatland 51 Douglas 40 (conference game)

Final Score: #5 Powell 48 Lovell 42 (conference game)

Final Score: Burns 56 Torrington 43 (conference game)

Final Score: Glenrock 78 Newcastle 30 (conference game)

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CLASS 4A

Rock Springs at #2 Green River, 5:30 p.m. (conference game)

#4 Thunder Basin at #5 Sheridan, 5:30 p.m. (conference game)

#1 Cheyenne East at #3 Cheyenne Central, 6 p.m. (conference game)

Jackson at Star Valley, 6 p.m. (conference game)

CLASS 3A

#3 Pinedale at Mountain View, 4 p.m. (conference game)

#1 Cody at #5 Powell, 5:30 p.m. (conference game)

Buffalo at Glenrock, 5:30 p.m. (conference game)

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CLASS 3A

Newcastle at Buffalo, 12:30 p.m. (conference game)

Glenrock at Rawlins, 3 p.m. (conference game)

Torrington at #4 Wheatland, 5:30 p.m. (conference game)

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Wyoming Boys 4A Swimming & Diving State Championships 2026

4A Boys State Swim Meet for 2026 in Cheyenne

Gallery Credit: David Settle, WyoPreps.com

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Wyoming

Political storm in Wyoming as far-right activist caught handing checks to lawmakers

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Political storm in Wyoming as far-right activist caught handing checks to lawmakers

Controversy has engulfed Wyoming’s state legislature after a conservative activist was photographed handing checks to Republican lawmakers on the state house floor, in an incident that has highlighted intra-conservative divisions and the role of money in the Cowboy state’s politics.

The political storm started on 9 February, when Karlee Provenza, a Democratic lawmaker, took a photo showing Rebecca Bextel, a conservative activist and committeewoman for the Teton county Republican party, handing a check to Darin McCann, a Republican representative, on the legislative floor. Marlene Brady, another Republican representative, stands in the photo’s background, a similar piece of paper pinched between her fingers.

“You have a person from the richest county in the country coming down to Cheyenne to hand out checks on the house floor,” Provenza said. “I have never seen something so egregious.”

Questions around the checks were soon swirling, and answers weren’t forthcoming. When asked what Bextel gave to her, Brady told a reporter for local outlet WyoFile: “I can’t remember.”

Then Bextel herself addressed the incident. “I raised $400,000 in the last election cycle for conservative candidates, and I will be doubling that amount this year,” Bextel wrote on Facebook on 11 February. “There’s nothing wrong with delivering lawful campaign checks from Teton county donors when I am in Cheyenne.”

Since then, it has emerged that the checks came from Don Grasso, a wealthy Teton county donor, who told the Jackson Hole News and Guide that he wrote the checks for Bextel to deliver to 10 Freedom caucus-aligned politicians. Grasso said the checks were intended as campaign contributions, and were not tied to specific legislation. It is unclear how many checks were ultimately delivered, but two of four confirmed recipients include the speaker of the house, Chip Neiman, and John Bear, the former head of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus.

The Wyoming house has formed a legislative investigative committee, and the Laramie county sheriff’s office said they’d open a criminal investigation.

Bextel declined to answer questions from the Guardian. Brady, McCann and Bear did not respond to requests for comment.

Neiman said he considered the criticism a “wraparound smear campaign”. He said: “It never once crossed my mind that this was bribery.

“These legislators, myself included, are now guilty until we can prove that we’re innocent. How is that right in this country? Isn’t that a little bit backwards?”

The scandal has highlighted long-standing divisions in Wyoming’s Republican party, which in recent years has seen a growing divide between old school, more moderate conservatives and a harder-right Freedom Caucus.

Several former Republican lawmakers forcefully condemned their colleagues for accepting the checks, and a local Republican party branch called for the lawmakers’ resignations.

Ogden Driskill, a Wyoming Republican senator, told the Guardian he does not consider Bextel’s actions to be illegal, but that “just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should”.

Bextel has spent years pushing against housing mitigation fees in Wyoming, and Driskill noted that she distributed the house floor checks just days before a bill she had publicly supported was set to be heard. Bextel was registered as a member of the press, not as a lobbyist when she delivered the checks.

“Ethically and morally, it’s bankrupt to a massive degree,” Driskill said.

Neiman said that he and other legislators who received checks have supported similar bills in the past: “Bribery is paying somebody to do something they would not otherwise do.”

Nationally, the 2024 election cycle saw record-spending from the mega-wealthy, as well as dark money groups. Wyoming followed the trend, in a tense red-on-red primary season.

For those gearing up to campaign this year, Teton county, the richest in the US, and Bextel’s picturesque home turf, is an essential stop. Its extreme wealth gives it a foothold on the national level as well. Palantir chief executive Alex Karp and Donald Trump attended an annual Republican leadership fundraiser at Jackson Hole in 2024, and JD Vance attended the same one in 2025.

Bextel pulls dollars from Teton county into the Freedom Caucus side of Wyoming’s conservative split. She hosted no-press-allowed meet and greets earlier this year benefitting leading candidates for Wyoming’s governor and open US House seat.

In an interview with the Open Range Record, a media network she co-founded, Bextel said controversy around the checks was solely because she was making “even playing field” in Wyoming against the state’s more moderate Republicans, who she calls “George Soros” candidates. She said that she will be sure to keep raising money – just away from the legislative floor.

“I guess I’m gonna ask all the gentlemen and gentleladies to step outside the Capitol while I hand them a check,” Bextel said. “Let me be clear: I’m doubling down.”

But it’s not just wealthy local donors putting their weight behind the factions. Last election cycle, out of state groups spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on anonymous and often inaccurate mailers.

“These actors, especially from the far right, they like to push the bounds of the norms,” said Rosa Reyna Pugh, an organizing and advocacy consultant at Western States Center, an Oregon-based non-profit focused on democracy in the western United States. “They like to see what policies they can kind of push, and see where they can play a piece,” Reyna Pugh said.

While Neiman and Driskill fight politically, they do agree on one thing: summer will bring an expensive and brutal campaign season.

“You’re going to see more dark money than you’ve ever seen. We’ve done absolutely nothing to enforce it. Our secretary of state has not even made a slight attempt to deal with it,” Driskill said. “You’re going to see lots and lots of outside money and I think you’re seeing it on both sides.”

As national questions swirl around pay-to-play politics and profiteering in the Trump administration, Provenza wants better for the Cowboy State.

“We should not be aligning ourselves with how the federal government is conducting itself or how federal elections conduct themselves,” Provenza said. “We owe something far better and more honest to the people of Wyoming than that.”

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