AZA Zoos Without Tax Support

GraysonDP

GraysonDP

Well-Known Member
Recently I've been thinking about what zoos in the AZA do not rely on government/tax funding and support and while rare I found out a few don't.

1. Indianapolis Zoo

2. Phoenix Zoo

3. Fort Wayne Children's Zoo

4. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

5. Naples Zoo

What is the reason these zoos do not use state funding and how does it impact the quality of these institutions? Are there any ones I am missing?
 
I always thought the Gladys Porter Zoo did not rely on government funding and is a very fine zoo. It was built and funded by the former Chairman of the Board of J.C. Penny's. He and his daughter, Gladys Porter, setup endowments and private fundraisers for its improvements and operation, then she gifted the zoo to the city of Brownsville, TX. I don't think they recieve any tax revenue for improvements and operations, (I could be wrong) but at the least, the city probably provides certian basic services, and the staff members are probably city employees.
 
Cheyenne Mountain has tried to get tax funding through a city wide vote multiple times and has failed each time. The current president has stated the zoo will not try another vote and has stuck to capital campaigning to fund recent exhibits. It’s also why the most money the zoo has ever spent on one project was a little over $13 million for the Encounter Africa exhibit (elephants and black rhino) compared to the over $50 million other zoos have been spending on their new elephant exhibits. It would be hard to find a zoochatter who has visited who would claim that the exhibit is not at least average when it comes to modern standard. I’ll chalk it up to no wasteful government spending. The zoo also can make decisions quickly as they don’t have to answer to any city board or anything. It does take quite a bit longer to actually complete new projects of that caliber though as Encounter Africa was finished in 2012 and the zoo hasn’t gone through a similar renovation since (at least not until 2019 when the new hippo and penguin exhibit is supposed to be completed).
 
If I am not mistaken, Naples Zoo was originally a for profit company, Jungle Larry's African Safari at Caribbean Gardens. They sold the land to Collier County for $40M ad valorem tax increase after a referendum in 2004 and turned management to the Zoo board in 2005. So not technically tax funded for general funds, but tax funded by property purchase.

Also, Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo gets less than 3% of its funding from the city/county, so a rather small amount.
 
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