KEENESBURG — A preliminary settlement between the 45-year-old Wild Animal Sanctuary and a neighboring residential developer has been approved by Weld District Court.

The nonprofit sanctuary, home to nearly 1,000 lions, tigers, bears and other animals, had sued the developer, Wigaard Smith Estates LLC, in September, seeking a permanent injunction against the developer until it fully complies with the terms of a 2010 agreement designed to ensure harmony between the sanctuary and nearby homeowners. It also called for a restraining order to temporarily keep the developer from building homes there.

In its lawsuit, the sanctuary expressed its concern “that people would buy property in the proposed Development with no idea of the practical challenges from being next door to the world’s largest

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