The Detroit Zoo Lives Another Day - For Now
Andrew Norton
The Detroit City Council finally got around to doing what they should have done a couple of weeks ago. They approved the deal that will send daily zoo operations to the Detroit Zoological Society. This move saves the zoo - for now. If the move had not been made the city of Detroit would have been forced to find new homes for the animals and close the zoo. Detroit just does not have the funds to run the zoo. The city council acted rashly in the eyes of the public and were forced to take a second look at the proposal that was previously voted down.
The next step will be for the zoological society to figure out a way to generate long-term funding sources whether the money comes from grants, private donors, or a possible regional millage (to support the zoo with taxes). So, a moment has been purchased by allowing the transfer from the city to the zoological society. A question of who will pay to keep the zoo running and how much will it cost still remains.
You can post your comments on this at Detroit Free Press - Zoo Comments.