REXBURG — After months of controversy the “Yellowstone Safari Park” has opened.

Sept. 23 was its first day to receive visitors, said owner Jared Sommer.

“We’re just going to say, ‘We’re here for those who want to come see it,” he said. “It’s an invitation to those who want to come.”

To kick off its opening, the park will soon have young foxes and wolves on display.

“They were born earlier this year,” he said. “People can come and see them.”

The park is located at 2246 West 4000 North in Rexburg. It is home to buffalo, deer, bear, foxes, wolves and elk. It is zoned agriculturally and is considered a “game ranch.” The Idaho and U.S. Departments of Agriculture as well as Idaho Fish and Game have jurisdiction over the ranch’s animals.

Sommer spent the fall of 2022 in court battling opponents for the right to operate his park. He noted that a number of those against the park didn’t live in the ranch’s proximity.

“Some are in Idaho Falls,” he said. “They’re miles away and somehow are allied with the opposition. They’re attempting every amount of legal effort that they can.”

The fight over the Safari Park started in August 2022 when 55 people filed a “judicial review” to air their grievances over the Madison County Planning and Zoning Board’s decision to allow for the game ranch. The neighbors expressed concern that the park was a commercial venture rather than an agricultural one. They also cited safety concerns over the presence of wild animals as well as increased traffic in the neighborhood as a result of the ranch.

Attorneys for Madison County and the park argued that Sommer had followed all laws and county codes that allowed him to create his business.

Seventh District Judge Steven Boyce wrote that Sommer and the commissioners had done nothing wrong.

“At this time, there are no facts before the Court to establish that there have been violations of the zoning code,” he wrote.

Boyce also ruled that a “final decision” was required by the Local Land Use Planning Act and that “injury in fact” are necessary prerequisites for judicial review.

“Therefore, the Court agrees with respondents that there is no jurisdiction in this action, resulting in dismissal of this judicial appeal,” he wrote. “The Court notes that petitioners are not foreclosed in seeking additional remedies to redress their concerns.”

Some of those opposed to the ranch met with Madison County commissioners on June 29, 2022, to discuss the park. That was followed by a subsequent July 1, 2022, meeting where they met with Madison County Planning and Zoning Administrator Gary Armstrong.

“No application and no county approval were required because (the game ranch) was a permitted use,” Armstrong said.

Sommer had been given permission for his park as early as 2021, and in July of that year, he wrote a letter to the Madison County Planning and Zoning Board explaining his plans for the park.

In the letter, Sommer stated that the park would raise game animals consistent with other “game ranches” in the country. He also stated that he would install standard wire and electrical fencing, manual and automatic gating, cattle guards, and watering, feed and shelter facilities.

“We have put in eight-foot fences,” he said. “We’ve put fences on top of fences.”

A roadway was also created allowing for visitors and workers to drive throughout the ranch.

“I have dotted the ‘i’s and crossed the ‘t’s,” Sommer said.

With family roots dating back to his ancestors homesteading in Madison County, Sommer said he wanted to see something developed on the property to preserve the agricultural land.

“It’s right in my back yard,” he said. “I didn’t want to see septic tanks and homes obstructing the view. You cannot control what you do not own. We thought ‘What can we do to maintain as much of the agriculturalization of the ground?’”

Sommer and his wife Katie and their five children have always loved animals and opted to create the Yellowstone Safari Park.

“We’re very aware of how to deal with animals and how to deal with wolves, bears, foxes, deer, buffalo and elk,” he said. “We not only care for the animals, but we want to preserve them.”

Sommer noted that a fox in the wild will only live an average of three years.

“The fox we have here will live upwards of 12 years because they get their vaccinations, and we feed them the very top feed. There is an enormous amount of care.”

In developing the park, Sommer wasn’t concerned about competing with Bear World that’s located about five miles from Rexburg.

“I do not consider myself in any way an antagonist to them,” he said. “I wish them the best. We have a game ranch, on agricultural land. They’ve got their business, and we’ve got our ag business.”

Yellowstone Safari Park offers visitors a guaranteed chance to see various wildlife, Sommer said.

“When you go into Yellowstone, you don’t always see the animals you hope to see,” he said. “Good luck seeing the fox. Good luck seeing a wolf. Good luck seeing a bear.”

The Safari Park also has the distinction of having multiple white buffaloes as well as a unique bull elk.

“The elk has a non-typical rack,” Sommer said. “It’s a configuration of a rack on that bull that’s not symmetrical.”

Sommer also noted the park’s foxes.

“We have approximately 40 different color patterns of the red fox family. It’s flabbergasting. You’ll see fox colors you never imagined.” he said.

The park also has its own fish pond where visitors may feed golden and blue rainbow trout.

While there is continued litigation concerning the park, the courts and county allow Sommer to run his park.

“We’re not under any restriction,” he said.

The park is open Monday through Saturday and remains open as long as the sun is shining. It is open by appointment on Sunday.

For more information call 208-356-7600 or visit Yellowstonesafaripark.com.