by: Whitney Burney
BOWNE TOWNSHIP, Mich., (WOOD) — After a long wait, Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park in Alto has chosen to open for the season on Friday.
Owners of the park say they were not given explicit permission to reopen but are following the path of other small, privately owned zoos on the east side of the state that have opened despite Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s orders closing down most public places.
While John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids and Binder Park Zoo near Battle Creek are closed with no opening day set, Boulder Ridge will be the first zoo or animal park in West Michigan to open for the year.
Management with Boulder Ridge said they were originally planning to open at the beginning of May. Normally, it would have seen hundreds of school children in the first few weeks.
It's important to note that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive orders aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus do not address zoos or animal parks by name.
Read the full story:WOODTV.COM