A wildlife rehabilitation centre in Virginia wants to build a larger aviary where injured bald eagles can regain their strength and practise flying before returning to the wild.
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eagles → want → wild
But the proposed facility has become the centre of a bitter dispute with a neighbouring restaurant owner, turning disagreements over traffic, noise and access to a shared private road into a prolonged legal battle.
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facility → propose → battle
The conflict involving the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke and restaurant owner Stan Seymour has stretched across several years, with legal fees for both sides reportedly reaching around $700,000, according to The Washington Post.
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fees → involve → Post
While the centre says the enclosure is necessary for rehabilitating large birds of prey, Seymour has challenged the expansion over its potential impact on the surrounding neighbourhood.
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Seymour → say → neighbourhood
Why the Virginia wildlife centre wants a larger aviary
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centre → want → aviary
The Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke is a nonprofit rehabilitation facility that treats thousands of injured and sick wild animals each year.
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that → treat → animals
It cares for native wildlife, including bald eagles and other birds of prey, with the aim of returning them to their natural habitats.
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It → care → habitats
The centre was established by Sabrina and Lucky Garvin, who began rehabilitating animals at home before expanding their operation.
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who → establish → operation
Chester Leonard, the centre's executive director, has helped lead its work as it has grown into a wildlife hospital serving western Virginia.
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it → help → Virginia
The proposed raptor building would provide a larger flight enclosure for recovering birds.
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building → propose → birds
After an injury, a bird of prey may need more than medical treatment to survive in the wild again.
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bird → need → wild
It must rebuild its strength, stamina and flying ability before it can be safely released.
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it → rebuild → strength
The centre says its existing 50-foot flight pen is not long enough to provide the conditioning large eagles need, and that a flight enclosure of at least 100 feet would be more suitable.
How a shared road fuelled the dispute
The legal conflict escalated in 2018, when the centre sought permission to build the aviary.
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centre → say → aviary
Access to its property runs along Coleman Road, a narrow, partly unpaved private road that crosses neighbouring properties.
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that → run → properties
The road is governed by an easement dating back to the 1930s, making access rights a central issue in the dispute.
Seymour, who owns 14 Bojangles fried-chicken restaurants in Virginia, has argued that the centre's expansion would bring additional traffic and noise to the area where he and his wife, Jane, live.
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he → govern → area
He has also questioned whether the centre should have been permitted to operate at that location.
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centre → question → location
Roanoke County approved a special-use permit for the proposed raptor building in 2018.
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County → approve → 2018
Seymour and other neighbours challenged the decision, arguing that the centre's operations affected their properties and access to the shared road.
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operations → challenge → road
The disagreement subsequently widened into a series of legal disputes involving zoning decisions, road access and allegations of misconduct.
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disagreement → widen → misconduct
The parties have offered sharply different accounts of the conflict, with the centre maintaining that the litigation has hindered its rehabilitation work and Seymour arguing that his objections concern the impact of the expansion on the neighbourhood.
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objections → offer → neighbourhood
What the courts have decided
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decided → decide → What
In June 2022, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled on a challenge brought by Seymour and other neighbours against the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors.
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Court → rule → Supervisors
The court reversed a lower court's dismissal of their case on standing grounds, allowing them to pursue their challenge.
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them → reverse → challenge
The decision did not establish that the wildlife centre was operating unlawfully or confirm that every allegation made by the neighbours was true.
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allegation → establish → neighbours
It addressed whether they had sufficiently alleged harm to challenge the county's decision.
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they → address → decision
The wider conflict has included allegations of road obstruction, harassment, defamation and interference with the centre's operations.
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conflict → include → operations
The centre has accused neighbours of actions intended to disrupt its work, while Seymour has denied allegations made against him.
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Seymour → accuse → him
These claims form part of the competing accounts surrounding the dispute and should not be treated as proven findings.
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claims → form → findings
In a report published on May 23, 2026, The Washington Post said two major cases remained unresolved at that time, leaving the future of the proposed expansion uncertain.
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cases → publish → expansion
The financial cost of the legal battle
The dispute has also become expensive for both sides.
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dispute → become → sides
According to The Washington Post, Seymour had spent approximately $450,000 on legal fees, while the wildlife centre had spent around $230,000.
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centre → accord → 230,000
Together, the costs amounted to roughly $680,000, or about $700,000.
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costs → amount → 680,000
The financial burden is particularly significant for the centre, which operates as a nonprofit dependent on donations and community support.
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which → operate → donations
In June 2022, it said its legal expenses had already exceeded $140,000 and warned that further litigation would add to the pressure on its finances.
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litigation → say → finances
An injured eagle highlights the need for flight space
The consequences for rehabilitation became apparent in September 2025, when the centre received a bald eagle that had been injured in a territorial fight with younger eagles.
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that → highlight → eagles
The bird was exhausted and also showed signs of lead poisoning.
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bird → show → poisoning
According to the centre, the eagle made progress in its 50-foot flight pen but needed a longer enclosure to regain the strength and endurance required for release.
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eagle → accord → release
Unable to provide the final stage of flight conditioning at its own facility, the centre transferred the bird to the Wildlife Center of Virginia for further treatment and rehabilitation.
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centre → provide → treatment
The eagle underwent treatment for lead poisoning and additional flight exercises.
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eagle → undergo → poisoning
After being cleared for release, it was returned to the wild at Smith Mountain Lake Community Park on October 14, 2025.
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it → clear → October
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