ZooMontana Zoo Montana - News

snowleopard

snowleopard

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I got to visit Zoo Montana last year. It's a pretty nice zoo. It's small, but I think it's pretty nice. They have the right animals for the type of weather Montana has, at least for the cold months. I've heard some reports that animals look bored and pace a lot, but animals do that at every zoo. I would really hate to see the zoo close.
 
I'm glad that I uploaded around 80 photos of this small zoo, as it might not even be in existence within the year! The outdoor habitats for many species (grizzly bear, Amur tiger, red panda, river otter, wolf, bighorn sheep, wolverine) are actually quite good, but the zoo has a deepening financial crisis that it may not get itself out of.
 
Zoos have in the past lost accreditation and yet come back.
But ZooMontana has been struggling for many years. It will take some serious new thinking to pull them through this
 
In this case it seems silly that after the first February dire straits and the recent fundingraising campaign that raked in more than anyone thought possible has been stopped short by the very same AZA. I wonder what they had in mind the interests and welfare of the animal collection and staff over finances/financing?

That to me is a sorry state of mind indeed.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
In this case it seems silly that after the first February dire straits and the recent fundingraising campaign that raked in more than anyone thought possible has been stopped short by the very same AZA. I wonder what they had in mind the interests and welfare of the animal collection and staff over finances/financing?

That to me is a sorry state of mind indeed.
Click to expand...

AZA's concern (according to the press) is with long-term financing... so the small amount the zoo raised to keep the bills paid in an emergency doesn't give the AZA any reason to believe this zoo is in a position to provide for their animals for any length of time. Losing accreditation will mean no new AZA animals go there and any that are owned by other AZA institutions will have to be returned. Waiting until the zoo is bankrupt would only worsen matters.
With situations such as this, we can expect that there have been long discussions between the zoo and the AZA before it came to this. Having the Executive Director leave doesn't help, I'm sure

I think this is really in the best interests of the animals.
The staff is another matter

If the zoo can turn their situation around they can be re-accredited. But they have a poor history financially
 
There has now been the removal of 4 grizzly bears and 2 tigers from the zoo, and it just goes to show how devastating a lack of AZA-accreditation can be. Having visited this tiny zoo in 2010 I'm very disappointed to see its apparent demise, but I do have my fingers crossed that the financial situation can be changed in the future and AZA re-accreditation is not totally unthinkable.

Philadelphia Zoo to remove 2 tigers from ZooMontana
 
I understand why they had to give up those specific animals (because they belong to AZA institutions). But if they want to find replacements from non-AZA sources, it should be a piece of cake. Bears and tigers are not exactly uncommon in captivity in America.
 
I'll be visiting the zoo pretty soon. It's been a long time. I think winter is a really good time to visit since a majority of the animals are well suited for cold and snow.

In addition to the new lynx, the zoo also have 3 new bighorn sheep ZooMontana Receives Big Horn Sheep | KULR-8 News, Sports, Weather | - Billings, MontanaLocal Coupons | Local Top Stories
A savannah monitor has been added to the living wall along with a green aacari.
Beavers are also hanging out at the zoo where an in progress exhibit was being constructed for a while (that may of been planed to hold foxes at one point)
And a great horned owl is hanging out in the old wolverine habitat. Their wolverine has gone to the Minnesota zoo for breeding recommendations. A new wolverine may go into the exhibit, or maybe the new lynx once a few renovations are made.
 
This zoo keeps exhibiting animals found in Montana and they wonder why they're having trouble.
 
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