Police in Hokkaido have referred the operator of a now-closed zoo and its 58-year-old former president to public prosecutors on suspicion of violating the city planning law, sources said Thursday.
Success Tourism is alleged to have developed animal enclosures and other structures without permission since before the zoo, North Safari Sapporo, opened in 2005, according to the investigative sources.
The zoo closed last year after the allegations came to light. In October, Hokkaido police searched related locations and seized documents.
In January this year, the city of Sapporo conducted an on-site inspection of the former zoo. At that time, about 40 structures remained there, including an office and animal enclosures.
As of March 12, 222 animals, including lions, were still being kept at the site, sources said. On Monday, the city issued an order to remove the structures by the end of October.
As for the remaining animals, a Tokyo-based investment firm has indicated its intention to take them over and open a new zoo.