Weld County’s Wild Animal Sanctuary lawsuit alleges faulty drill rig

KEENESBURG — The Wild Animal Sanctuary, a Keenesburg-based operation that houses and displays rescued animals, is suing global infrastructure engineering and construction firm Black & Veatch Inc. for allegedly selling the nonprofit a faulty post-drilling rig.

Last year, the sanctuary used borrowed funds to buy a used $165,000 rig to drill post holes at the group’s outpost near Springfield in southeast Colorado, according to the lawsuit filed this week in U.S. District Court in Denver. The Wild Animal Sanctuary bought the nearly 10,000-acre Springfield property in 2018, with the intent of fencing the perimeter to house animals.

Last summer, the sanctuary “determined that in order to develop the Springfield refuge it would need to acquire a commercial drilling rig that would be able to drill post holes up to 20 inches wide and seven feet deep,” according to the suit. 

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But despite assurance that the equipment was in good condition, “the drilling rig has been defective and useless to the sanctuary from the moment the Sanctuary received it,” the complaint said. “It cannot drill even seven feet into the ground, let alone the 80 feet defendants promised.”

Black & Veatch representatives did not respond to requests for comment. 

After months of pleading from the sanctuary, B&V sent a technician to repair the rig. But, according to the lawsuit, the rig was irreparable at the time. “Defendants have subsequently confirmed that they will not fix the drilling rig to make it function as represented.”

The suit alleges fraud and negligent misrepresentation. The sanctuary is seeking unspecified damages. 

The Wild Animal Sanctuary, run by executive director Pat Craig, is a nonprofit organization with all-volunteer staff that tends to more than 500 rescued tigers, wolves, lions, and other animals. It has operated in Keenesburg since 1994

More than 150,000 visitors pass through the gates each year, according to the lawsuit. 

The Springfield property, known as The Refuge, is not open to the public.