Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico says town officials are nearing a decision about the future of the town-owned zoo in Holtsville that some animal welfare activists want to see closed.

During an interview with Newsday and in public remarks at a town board meeting, Panico said town officials were weighing “whether or not the town should be in the animal sanctuary space” and hinted a resolution could come by the end of the month.

He did not say what options he was considering but said the resolution could be tied to the town's 2026 budget.

“The seminal question is, number one, whether or not [the zoo] is germane to the operation of town government and, number two, … is Holtsville the best place for these animals?" Panico said Friday in a telephone interview.

On Thursday, Panico said at a

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