ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A man who's been saving wildlife for nearly 40 years says loud gunshots are scaring his animals and causing them to jump his fence.
And when that happens he's either cited or must face charges for letting them roam.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office said the gunfire and explosives from his neighbor are legal for the same reason it's legal for the man to have the animals.
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Because the zoning in the area is agricultural.
But the owner said when the loud sounds come from his neighbor’s property, sometimes a llama jumps over his fence to get away.
At Second Chance Wildlife Sanctuary, the property owner said all the animals live together and get along.
"There's no fighting, no squabbling," Jim Bronzo said.
But he alleges it's not so friendly between some humans on this street.
"I'm not going away. I'm not," Bronzo said.
Bronzo said he traps and rescues animals that would otherwise be killed and for 38 years, he's been bringing them to his home.
Pigs, goats, llamas, ducks, turkeys, raccoons and even reptiles roam free on his 3-acre property.
"We also get some of the swans from Lake Eola that get aggressive," Bronzo said.
But recently, some have been getting out.
"The llamas jump over the fence. The pigs bust through the fence because they're terrified," Bronzo said.
Bronzo asked Orange County commissioners for help this week. He told them when his neighbor shoots guns and sets off explosives, it spooks the animals.
"But the police said it's legal so that's what we're trying to get, some kind of understanding," Bronzo said.
His neighbor told us by phone that he calls the sheriff's office when the animals get out.
In January, they filed charges against Bronzo for allowing livestock to run at large and deputies said the fencing was inadequate.
Bronzo said he's frustrated because he's trying to give these animals a good place to live out the rest of their lives. But when he has to spend time with deputies, he said he's losing money from his job as a trapper, which pays for feed and vet bills.
"I can't go out and get a snake out of a lady's house or something. I have to come back and defend this place to whatever authority is here," Bronzo said.
The sheriff's office said when a llama was out this week there was no evidence of gunfire around that time.
Bronzo plans to meet with commissioners on Tuesday.
The owner of an Orange County wildlife sanctuary says his neighbor’s gunfire & explosives are scaring his animals and causing them to jump his fence. The financial and legal issues he’s now dealing with on @WFTV at 6:15. pic.twitter.com/5ZZvJQ130a
— Lauren Seabrook (@LSeabrookWFTV) February 1, 2019
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