A nonprofit animal sanctuary in Bergen County is scrambling to find a new home.

The Wildlife Conservation and Education Center has been on Midland Avenue in Garfield for five years.

The director says the last landlord promised to renew the lease, but then sold the property without telling anyone at the center.

The new developer wants to tear down the building. The center will be forced out by June 1.

“They dragged us along for months because they knew they weren’t going to renew our lease and that we would have no grounds to stand on,” says owner Joseph D’Angeli. “It’s a big disappointment because we’ve become a part of the community. The community has welcomed us here and the community is just as upset that we’re having these issues and these troubles right now.”

D’Angeli says the center has filed a lawsuit because the previous landlord was approving plans for a lower level, while also in negotiations to sell the building.