Wildlife rehab center can't get zoning

A flight cage in the yard of a North Barrington home won't fly, and neither will the wildlife rehabilitation facility a couple has run out of their home there for eight years.

The North Barrington village board this week acted to shut down the wildlife center being run by Jennifer and Roelof Boonstra because it does not conform to village code.

The couple cares for injured animals, many of them referred by clinics and other wildlife centers. They operated their veterinarian facility for years under the radar of North Barrington officials until last year, when they started work on a 40 by 15 foot flight cage to house injured birds being treated.

The village discovered the cage -- and the wildlife center -- and told them they needed a building permit.

The Boonstras applied and were rejected, then went to the zoning board of appeals, which rendered a split decision.

That left the decision to the board of trustees Wednesday.

While board members were sympathetic to the Boonstras' cause, most of them felt a rehabilitation center should not be in a residential neighborhood.

"We are all sensitive to their cause, but we just felt the location was inappropriate," said Trustee Mark Kolar.

Roelof said he was surprised.

"We have been doing it for eight years and no one ever noticed," he said. "That's how low key it was."

The Boonstras said they have rehabbed hundreds of injured animals, mostly small mammals and raptors and mostly referred from clinics and other wildlife centers.

According to their state and federal licenses, the Boonstras can keep an animal no longer than 90 days and must release them where they were originally found.

Boonstra said they will abide by the board's decision, but that he and his wife do not plan on abandoning their love rehabilitating animals.

"We still want to help animals in the wild," Boonstra said. "We will either find another way to do it, or we will have to relocate."