Someone told me it's all happening at the zoo....
The Jackson Zoo continues to wither away as the aging collection of animals dies off. WLBT's Brendan Hall and Anthony Warren dove deep into the weeds and produce a thorough report on the current state of the Jackson Zoo. Some highlights are:
Once home to approximately 200 species and hundreds of animals overall, the park on Thursday had numerous empty exhibits, leaving visitors that did come in with far less to see than they would have just a decade ago.
Necropsy reports obtained by 3 On Your Side show that in the last 12 years, more than 500 animals at the West Jackson park have died, been killed or gone missing.
Meanwhile, the zoo has relatively little funding to bring in new exhibits and is no longer accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, meaning it no longer participates in programs that potentially could bring new animals.
The lack of visitors, coupled with the lack of species, is a sign the zoo has seen better days.....
The park reopened in August 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the zoo has yet to rebound in terms of attendance. In the last two years, just 45,000 people have visited. By comparison, in 2018, approximately 74,000 people attended. Back in 2003, approximately 180,000 went through the gates....
The USDA cited the zoo in October for only having five instead of the required minimum of ten zookeepers. The zoo hired two more zookeepers but still fell short of USDA requirements by the agency's February 1 deadline. What does it all mean? It means the city spends millions shoring up the zoo:
However, due to a lack of ticket sales, the city has had to dip into its general fund to keep the zoo afloat. In 2021, audits show $4.8 million in city revenue was transferred to the Parks Department, with most of that going to supplement the zoo.
The city also has been slow in offering jobs to qualified workers. “We’ve gotten some lists in [and] a lot of times people have already found jobs,” Wetzel said. “So, by the time we get that list, half of them aren’t available anymore. So, we just keep plugging away.”
While the city works to fill positions, Wetzel said efforts are also under way to fill empty exhibit spaces. During 3 On Your Side’s numerous exhibits that once were once home to some of the zoo’s most popular attractions were empty.
The $4.8 million was probably used to whip the zoo into shape to pass the requirements for a USDA Class C license. The Jackson Zoologicial Society requested $1.5 million each year from the city but only received $800,000 to $1 million each year. All those years of deferred maintenance finally caught up to Jackson has it had to spend millions to get compliant.
Watch the video on the WLBT website. Anthony Warren and Brendan Hall spent over a month researching this story and it shows in their work. Video and article.
59 comments:
It's only a perception of a deteriorating zoo, right?
Poor animals, poor citizens, poor taxpayers. Hard to name one thing that's improved or even not declined under Lumumba's leadership. Can give a list but we've all read it already and just too depressing to recite. Please relocate state employees and taxpayer dollars out of Jackson.
Shut it down. Why is this so hard for Lumumba?
Low revenue and staffing = city water system failure
Low revenue and staffing = inner city business failure
Low revenue and staffing = city zoo failure
Anyone see a pattern here?
For the sake of the animals, just close it down.
The zoo has become one more symbol of resistance used by the City to defy any control from outside parties.
Rome continues to burn, only this time the remaining animals are burning as well.
Plain & Simple, Lumumba's leadership has destroyed Jackson
Like, Putin's leadership is destroying Russia, the quicker both of these leaders are removed the better the world will be!
Does anyone think that Lumumba or the fools who vote for him care one bit about the animals themselves ?
Give the Zoo to Ted Henifin. He's an expert and can fix anything.
Use the empty cages to house inmates.
12:37 PRIDE!!! Just like HB1020 and the airport, police Dept and oh the never ending water crisis. Lumumba must be KING for all areas of his kingdom.
The narcissistic egotistical mayor will never ever admit that he is wrong. He will let every animal die off and then blame it on the state/governor.
Meanwhile, Hattiesburg's zoo is thriving and growing. The city tossed out a four-term mistake who was ruining the city in Johnny Dupree and elected Toby Barker. Barker hires competent managers and runs the city efficiently. Longtime grifters who thrived under Dupree have been jailed or chased into the shadows- or just died off- in the city of Hattiesburg in the last half dozen years or so.
Lumumba's voters don't hold marches for gang violence, crime, murder, loss of water for months or deadly potholes.
It would be silly to think they give a rip about a zoo. Of course, they will hang on to it regardless because they deserve it and they are owed it.
The only thing they do seem to care about is faux-racism and preventing gentrification at all costs.
And his fans will eat that narrative up 1:19 PM. Facts are unnecessary.
Its just a shame the voters wont have any water to wash that bitter pill down with.
@12:39
Let's not leave out the libraries.
12:39, low revenue and staffing.....you left off the library system. They just paid the former director $100,000 for illegal termination. Meanwhile, several libraries are uninhabitable and others can't stay open for a full day due to staffing.
And try finding a book written after the 2000.
Why haven't we heard from PETA?
Maybe its because they are just another wing of the democratic party.
I genuinely hate thinking about those poor animals suffering.
And that is true for any such poorly managed/under funded facility.
If only they were in Rankin Co. Then the liberal media would report it.
This is "our" zoo.
I saw a guy on WLBT advocating for more library funding.
As if THAT is the priority that any utility-failing, crime-riddled city should focus on.
They seem to be incapable of keeping anything properly funded, while other cities manage a budget. Weird.
@2:07
Peta is just about as legit as BLM.
The zoo, the public schools, the roads, the police department, the libraries, the water system, the wastewater system, garbage pick-up . . .
What's next, the fire department?
The fact is no one wants to work for an a—hole that thinks he’s always right. The only ones that do work for him are either in on the grift or incompetent. Or both.
The zoo has a very small staff taking care of the animals. They don't do it for the pay or benefits. It's because they care for the animals' welfare. If the city offered enough salary they could get help.
That's actually a very well done investigative report.
I wonder how the animals were killed. I know packs of dogs have killed some, what about the rest?
@2:55 Are you talking about Lumumba or Wetzel? You perfectly described both....
Why not let the animals vote - they could probably pick a better mayor. FREE THE ANIMALS!
Perhaps if we didn't have to drive through a combat zone to get to the zoo???....MOVE IT TO LEFLEUR'S BLUFF!
LB is a horrible site for the zoo. Great location, horrible site.
Build a new zoo in Brandon/Flowood/Madison. The last time I went to the zoo there were no citizens of Jackson there anyway.
YT got us again.
Give them to Hattiesburg and let them live
Lumumba keeps the zoo open as an act of defiance to those Jackson residents who do not vote for or support him.
He does so simply because he can.
For those that have seen The Lion King, the whole Jackson/Lumumba shitshow reminds me of what happened after Scar had taken over. He ran everything into the ground, there was no food, the once-thriving kingdom was a wasteland. Yet his pride wouldn’t admit it - he just loved the power. Lumumba is Scar and he’s doing the same thing to Jackson.
A zoo is a regional attraction. It should be relocated to a safe area and funded by Hinds, Madison and Rankin Counties. Jackson should not have to fund the whole thing. A regional commission could manage it.
Why would anyone think Jackson could manage a zoo when they cannot even provide and bill for potable water to its human inhabitants.
@ 1:11 for the win
What happens at Chowke's zoo, stays at Chowke's zoo. Right?
"Regional commission?" Sure, let's create another good ol' boys club.
Can anyone name 1 positive thing Lamumba has ever done for Jackson?
I'll wait but I'm going to go click on another post & hope Charlie was found.
8:08, provide you business plan. In the meantime, these animals are dying in solitary confinement in conditions worse than any prison.
Who in Washington, DC would be in charge of shutting that zoo down?
If there are enough emails sent, maybe the animals can be relocated before they ALL die.
@ 1:57 PM & 2:05 PM -- Libraries are not expected to be self-supported by a revenue stream.
Remember when Scar was the king, the animals starved and the kingdom was desolate? Scar was corrupt and was in debt to the hyenas. The zoo seems pretty much analogous to the rule of Scar, as does the rest of Jackson. But there seems to be no Simba in the wings to rescue the city.
The perfect place is near the Children's Museum, park, Ag Museum and SCience Museum, but that makes too much sense for the Mayor. The revenue of a zoo, even a smaller zoo would be more than the present zoo is getting. It would bring more money into Jackson, along with tourism. But like I said, it makes too much sense to ever happen. I feel sorry for the animals and the staff that have to live and work there.
No, it's not. Lousy site.
Just curious, why is LB a lousy site?
My guess would be that it's in a flood plain.
The site floods. How many times has water come up to Lakeland Drive in the last ten years? Flooding problems means the site probably can't get past the USDA. What are you going to do when it floods? Keep moving animals around? Then there is flood damage to exhibits. The current zoo is 33 acres and let's face it, its a small zoo. The site is only 25 acres so you would have to shrink an already small zoo by 8 acres. No room for expansion or the more modern free range exhibits.
A better site would be over by that old car auction place and Tougaloo College now that County Line Road is straightened out. It's near Highland Colony, Renaissance, and East County Line Road. Hotels are nearby as are numerous restaurants. Easy access from interstate.
However, the Mayor has too much pride to admit anything and frankly, the city doesn't have the money to make the current zoo work.
I don't think Dupree was mayor for 16 years.
PS: Y'all need to back off. Kingfish is an expert on zoo locations. Just like he's an expert on retirement plans, municipal government and picking contributing journalists.
11:44, if you don't agree with his expertise in the subjects that you mentioned, why are you reading his blogs?
Actually, I believe KF was a member of the zoo's board for several years, including during the time period n which it was looking to relocate.
@8:08 and naturally you would support the current mayor appointing 5 out of 7 commissioners who would oversee a reginal zoo.
The fate of the zoo is totally in the hands of the municipality that owns it which means its fate is on the shoulders of the mayor. That's frightening, isn't it?
Last time I went to The Jackson Zoo was in 1989 and it was run down then.
Ummmm…could someone please elaborate on the animals that have “gone missing” in the last 12 years???
Does anyone remember 2018, when it was going to cost $74 million to revitalize Livingston Park? (including a $100k dog park)
What about 2016, when the Zoo wanted $95.9 million to build an African village and a Rainforest Building?
Or what about Donna Ladd imploring people to "take a romantic stroll at the zoo"? (something I'm certain she does regularly.
This place is a lost cause, and pie in the sky dreams and ridiculous multi-million dollar projects will do nothing to change it.
Close it down! Jackson does not need a zoo period! No funding, no competent staff, city employees run it- no qualifications. The city needs to put all it's tiny little focus mechanisms on crime and infrastructure and leave zoological parks for cities with qualified veterinary staff, proper funding,
safe locations, and politicians that are not stuffing their pockets on contracts.
Those city employees are qualified zookeepers. Maybe not enough of them but they are qualified.
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