Brookhaven Town Board votes to close Holtsville zoo

The Brookhaven Town Board on Thursday passed a 2026 budget that calls for closing the Holtsville zoo following allegations of abuse and neglect of more than 100 animals housed there.

The board voted 7-0 to pass the $367.2 million budget after weeks of public debate over the zoo's fate. Zoo supporters at recent meetings had implored the board to save the facility.

Animal welfare activists and some former zoo workers have said the zoo should close, citing what they said was a host of illnesses suffered by some animals at the facility. They cited the case of Honey, a bear that died at the zoo in late 2024, allegedly because of neglect.

Town officials have denied the allegations.

Closing the zoo, located at the Holtsville Ecology Site and Animal Preserve, which is operated by the town Highway Department, will save taxpayers about $2 million annually, Supervisor Dan Panico has said.

Before the vote, Panico said the town couldn't afford the cost of future upgrades to run the zoo properly.

The zoo will remain open to the public through the end of this year and close in January, officials have said.

Zoo operations are funded through March to allow time for the animals to be cared for at the facility until they are relocated, officials have said.

Town officials are in talks with animal sanctuaries and the state Department of Environmental Conservation as they try to find new homes for about 130 animals, including farm animals, birds of prey and exotic species such as emus and buffalo.

The rest of the ecology site, which also includes public swimming pools and playgrounds, will remain open, Panico has said.

Newsday reported last year that whistleblowers, including some former zoo employees, documented what they said was abuse and neglect at the zoo.

John Di Leonardo, executive director of Humane Long Island, which has called for closing the zoo, said Thursday the zoo "teaches all the wrong lessons about conservation."

A zoo supporter, Jenny Intravia, a former zoo tour guide from Patchogue, called it "a vital lifeline" for residents.

"To remove the animals would be taking away the heart of this place," Intravia said.

Discussion of the zoo had made the rest of the budget almost an afterthought since Panico unveiled the spending plan at the end of September, and announced the town's intent to close the zoo.

Taxes on the average home assessed at $2,750 will rise by 1.43%, less than the state's 2% property tax levy cap, Brookhaven Finance Commissioner Tamara Branson has said.

Taxes on the average home will go up from $1,090.94 this year to $1,106.58 in 2026, she said.

Overall town spending will rise 1.3%, from $362,614,293 this year to $367,190,261 next year, officials said.

The fee assessed to homeowners for trash and recycling collection is set to drop 1.3% from $401.33 this year to $396.22 next year. Panico has said he did that by moving personnel costs to other budget lines, leaving only the payments the town makes to private trash haulers.

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.