VANCOUVER -- The City of Maple Ridge has closed down a petting zoo that was apparently operating without a proper licence.
Officials said they discovered Meadows Family Farm was lacking a business licence back in June, and staff found a number of structures on the property that were built without construction permits.
The city gave the owners a temporary licence over the summer that they could use while they addressed those issues, but said staff discovered new problems when they came back for an inspection in October.
"City staff conducted an inspection of the facility and found that the business had not addressed the outstanding issues noted as part of the interim business license agreement, and had expanded the business with new structures," Maple Ridge said in a news release.
"As a result, the City of Maple Ridge has provided formal notice that the business must now cease operation."
Meadows Family Farm posted a statement on its Facebook page Tuesday thanking the community for supporting the petting zoo, which only opened six months ago.
The owners said they had already shut down for the season when the city ordered them to close, and that they were very close to complying with all of the requirements.
"We are a few weeks away from completing and will continue with our original plan here at the farm, and hope to see you all back in the spring," they wrote.
