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Zoo Not Out Of The Woods

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By BAIRD HELGESON

bhelgeson@tampatrib.com

Published: February 24, 2009

TAMPA - These are uncertain times for Lowry Park Zoo.
Tampa city auditors this week are expected to release a final report that former zoo chief Lex Salisbury used more than $202,000 in zoo supplies and animals for personal gain.

The city will turn over the report to law enforcement officials, who expressed interest in reviewing whether Salisbury broke the law. Mayor Pam Iorio has recommended a criminal investigation.

At the same time, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums will decide in about a month whether to lift its suspension of the zoo's accreditation. The zoo got in trouble for its animal dealing with Salisbury's personal ranch in Dade City and private exotic-animal park in Polk County

The taxpayer-backed zoo is navigating its most tumultuous time since reopening in 1988. And it is doing so without a permanent director or a clear path for the future.

The zoo won't embark on a formal search for a new chief until the accrediting group meets March 27 in Oklahoma City to consider the zoo's appeal of its suspension, said Rachel Nelson, a zoo spokeswoman.

The city's lease with the Lowry Park Zoological Society, which runs the zoo, requires the zoo to meet the association's standards.

In practice, losing accreditation means the zoo can't access a list of animals for sale or available from other endorsed animal centers. But losing accreditation also knocks Lowry Park out of the ranks of the nation's most highly regarded zoos.

The zoo association generally requires a center to have an accredited director in place for at least six months before it will grant an endorsement. But the group's leadership views this case differently because Lowry Park is appealing a suspension, not seeking a new accreditation.

Lowry Park's interim director Craig Pugh and staff are rewriting the animal acquisition and disposition policy, Nelson said. "We are actively in the process of restoring the zoo's relationship with AZA," she said.

The effort appears to be working.

The zoo has worked closely with the zoo association to ensure the animal transaction policies meet the toughest standards, said Steven Feldman, a spokesman for the zoo association.

"Tampa has a very competent interim director right now," Feldman said.

The zoo association separately suspended the personal memberships of Salisbury and Larry Killmar, the zoo's director of collections. They will have the chance to appeal at the meeting, as well.

Current and former zoo board members see two likely paths.

The zoo could renew its focus on the current location, rotating exhibits and animals to keep it fresh for visitors.

Or the zoo could find land a short drive from Tampa and expand at a much larger satellite site.

The future seemed certain before the board asked Salisbury to resign from his $339,000-a-year job in December.

He wanted to find 2,000 acres within about 45 minutes where animals could go for a break and where the zoo could run breeding programs not possible at the 56-acre site off Sligh Avenue and North Boulevard.

He and several board members envisioned the zoo taking a leadership role in the conservation and breeding of exotic and endangered species.

Now those plans look further off as the economy tanks and without Salisbury's leadership.

Bob Merritt, former zoo board chairman, said the satellite center likely won't be possible unless someone donates 2,000 acres or the money to buy property.

The zoo could expand its current location by building multilevel structures and a parking ramp to deal with extra visitors, Merritt said. But those changes could increase ticket prices and require the zoo to start charging for parking.

"Our goal was to keep it affordable for low- and middle-income visitors," he said.

For Merritt, the zoo is at a pivotal point.

"Either we've peaked, or we find a partnership and grow from here," he said.

Zoo leaders have time to make these decisions. Its finances and public appeal remain strong.

The zoo, with a roughly $20 million annual budget, reported a 9 percent increase in operating revenue for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. More than 1.1 million people visited the zoo in that time, a 0.2 percent increase from the previous fiscal year.

Reporter Baird Helgeson can be reached at (813) 259-7668.

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