Court Will Hear Arguments On Fairness Of Judge Over Shutdown Of Manchester Roadside Zoo

The Iowa Court of Appeals will hear arguments next month as to the fairness of a judge who shut down Manchester’s Cricket Hollow Animal Park after citing “deplorable” conditions at the roadside attraction. The two owners of the now-shuttered zoo, Pamela and Thomas Sellner, of Manchester, are appealing a 2019 court ruling declaring it to be a public nuisance. The Iowa Court of Appeals has indicated it will hear arguments in the case on June 22. In briefs filed with the court, attorneys for the Sellners have argued that Iowa District Court Judge Monica Wittig “took an advocacy role” on the side of the animal rights’ groups that had sued to close the zoo by “praising” the groups’ witnesses and “criticizing and arguing with” the Sellners and their witnesses.