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Tampa Zoo Calls For Audit Over Ties To Exotic Animal Park

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By BAIRD HELGESON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 28, 2008

TAMPA - The Lowry Park Zoo's board has called for an independent financial audit of dealings with Safari Wild to determine whether any zoo money was used for the private exotic animal park co-owned by zoo President Lex Salisbury.

The zoo's six-member executive committee voted in June to sever its cooperative agreement with Safari Wild and conduct an audit to ensure no money was spent on the Lakeland animal attraction, zoo spokeswoman Rachel Nelson said.

Last week, The Tampa Tribune obtained e-mail messages that showed that two zoo administrative staff members have done work for Safari Wild, which was expected to open next year but has been slowed by permitting and concern about the lack of fire hydrants in the area.

The board realized that some people thought it was a conflict of interest to have Salisbury running the taxpayer-backed zoo and Safari Wild, a for-profit corporation, Nelson said.

"We can't afford to have anyone in the community doubt our intentions or integrity," she said. "The executive committee didn't find anything inappropriate, but they called for the audit to provide a full account."

She didn't know whether the zoo or Safari Wild would pay for the audit, expected to begin around the end of September.

Board member Bob Merritt, former chief financial officer for Outback Steakhouse Inc., will oversee the audit, Nelson said. He could not be reached for comment.

The full board was informed at the July meeting of the decision to end its relationship with Safari Wild and conduct an audit, Nelson said.

Salisbury and St. Petersburg veterinarian Stephen Wehrmann bought 258 acres of land north of downtown Lakeland in 2007 to build Safari Wild. Visitors would pay more than $50 apiece for a safari tour in which they would see about 1,000 exotic and endangered species, such as cheetahs, rhinoceroses and zebras.

Andy Greenberg, a zoo board member, said Thursday he knows little about Safari Wild's relationship with the zoo. He said he didn't know about the audit.

As for any conflict between the zoo and Safari Wild: "I have not considered the issue."

Last week, board member Bill Blanchard, the immediate past chairman, expressed concern that zoo staff appeared to be doing work for Safari Wild. He said it was inappropriate, even if they were doing it as a favor to Salisbury.

Safari Wild's owners signed a memorandum of understanding with the executive committee of the zoo board to ensure the two entities won't compete and will work together.

Under the agreement, the zoo would have shipped animals to Safari Wild to roam and get a break from life in a small exhibit. In turn, Safari Wild guests would see the animals in a more natural environment.

Wehrmann said he was disappointed that negative media coverage about the permitting problems and perceived conflict of interest scuttled the arrangement.

"We could have done a lot more for the zoo than they could do for us, in terms of boarding animals," he said. "We can do it with or without the zoo."

The zoo has held events at Safari Wild.

Earlier this year, the zoo hosted its five-year strategic vision meeting at Safari Wild.

Zoo board members and senior staffers boarded tour buses that took them to the Lakeland attraction for the meeting, said Nelson, who has not been to Safari Wild. Salisbury gave tours of the attraction before and after the zoo's official meeting.

Safari Wild did not charge the zoo for use of its meeting area, Nelson said. The zoo's catering department provided lunch, as they do for most board functions.

The zoo's previous strategic planning meeting in 2003 was also held off-site, she said.

About five months ago, the city of Tampa's cable-access channel featured Safari Wild on its program, the Mayor's Hour.

The five-minute segment featured the zoo's effort to move three white rhinoceroses from the Lowry Park facility to Safari Wild, said Zac Atwood, a producer and director at CTTV.

Reporter Baird Helgeson can be reached at (813) 259-7668 or bhelgeson@tampatrib.com.

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