BREAKING NEWS TONIGHT: THE JACKSON ZOO LOSES ITS ACCREDITATION STATUS... In a not so surprising move, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) has stripped the Jackson Zoo of its accreditation status. This decision comes after Zoo officials traveled to Kansas City for their annual conference. Zoo officials are expected to make the announcement in the morning via a press release at 10:00 a.m., ironically, the same time the Jackson City Council is expected to approve its annual budget that includes funding the Zoo at $1.4 million. Zoo officials are expected to appeal this decision and during the appeal process the Zoo’s accreditation will remain in tact. Zoo officials have cited financial troubles as the reason for the loss of its primary rating status. We, however, have learned of several other problems related to the Jackson Zoo that should be addressed by the leadership of the city of Jackson. 1) A former mayor hired the Zoo’s current executive Director Beth Poff and she should be reporting to both the Zoo’s Board of Directors and some city official. 2) No one on the city council until recently has ever reviewed Poff’s contract. A source tells me that upon reading the contract for the first time –this week, they learned that a performance review should be submitted on a routine basis to the council…THAT has NEVER happened. 3) The AZA has cited the Jackson Zoo for various issues over the course of the last seven years. During this year’s evaluation process, the Zoo was given a very stern warning and told that it would lose its accreditation partly because of these lingering issues. Not just simply money woes as the public have been led to believe. 4) We have learned that the Zoo in Roanoke, VA, (Mill Mountain) where Poff worked before coming to Jackson was mired in controversy involving Poff and she felt that her only option was to relocate. 5) The city council should ask about fundraising efforts. We have learned that Poff dismantled one fundraising arm of the Zoo: We have learned that Poff ended the “Fundraising Society,” eliminated board involvement and until recently had no development personnel. Volunteers are a thing of the past. It is time for the right questions to be asked- not how can we bail out the zoo again? But what is happening year after year to cause the need for a bail out? The council should ask, why and how were they completely blindsided by this situation? But more importantly the question is Who’s ACCOUNTABLE? This is about so much more than where the Zoo is located...
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 03:32:41 +0000
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