One may not have to worry whether the Jackson Zoo will remain open if it's animal population continues to shrink. Inventory reports obtained through public records request show the zoo's collection is only a third of what it was just seven years ago.
The zoo's animal population was a healthy 338 animals in May 2018.
The inventory shrank to 168 animals in July 2024, a 50% reduction in only six years.
JJ obtained the current inventory report through a public records request. The animal population of the Jackson Zoo is a whopping 118 animals. Translation: Under the Lumumba regime, the population of animals at the Jackson Zoo is only a third of what it was when he assumed office in 2017.
Compare the reports. Notice how less information is provided in the current report. Typical for this administration.
42 comments:
Somebody's been grillin'
Just wonder how well the animals are actually being cared for and fed.
How bought we just start a new zoo off Lakeland and everyone donate to start a new zoo. Maybe the new mayor will see the idea to start a new zoo the best alternative.
Great location, bad site.
A city that cannot maintain its streets or water has no business with a zoo. Close it.
It's called survival of the fittest. The last animal there will be a cockroach-
Shock-Way's zoo.
ZooBQ
A city with a fucked up, radical, child-mayor that can't operate anything at all, has no business with a zoo. Fixed it for you there, 10:40.
Kind of like the general population in Jackson...
This is what Jackson voters asked for and Chokwe delivered.
Someone call PETA
The Zoo was never a priority for the radical socialist city but the Lumumba regime needed to blame someone else for closing it. That has not worked out so well, so it stays open to wither and die.
PETA completely ignores certain demographics. Have you ever seen them campaigning against pit bull fights?
At some point the new administration must accept that the current tax base can not continue to support all that it currently attempts to manage. Put water/sewer/airport into regional authorities. Close or privatize the zoo. Reorganize JPS top to bottom to improve classroom teaching, reduce administrative staff & noneducational programs.
Just move it out if jackson
Does anyone know when the zoo was in its prime? I'm thinking in the 1980's? The last time I remember it being halfway decent was around 2010 or so.
Chok promised to make Jackson "the most radical city on the planet."
One could argue that all of his administration's failures and his recent indictment are, on several levels, radical.
Chokweburg always has enough animals
@11:48 89s kid/90s teen here.
i believe it peaked in the early 90s
i remember media/industry partnerships with the Jackson Zoo around the time Lion King was released and it looked so nice aroubd that time. This sincoming from someone who could remember it looking rundown in the late 80s when i was in elementary. I took my family there around 2012 and it looked like nothing had been updated (or maintained wel) since that early 90s heyday.
The zoo lost its accreditation, which means it can't participate in animal exchanges with other zoos. Most of the animals in the zoo are considered elderly. Without some significant intervention, nature will take its course and the animal population will disappear on its own.
Zoos across the country routinely form dynamic partnerships with universities:
North Carolina State University works closely with the North Carolina Zoo.
Texas A&M collaborates with the Houston Zoo on education and research initiatives.
The University of Illinois supports Brookfield Zoo through academic programming and student engagement.
These collaborations benefit both institutions and serve as engines for education, conservation, and community enrichment.
Mississippi’s own universities—Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, and Alcorn State University—are equally capable of leading such a transformative partnership. With a strong track record of academic excellence and civic leadership, any one of them could reimagine the Jackson Zoo as a vibrant center for research, environmental education, and cultural pride.
It’s time for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning to step in, structure a framework, and let these universities compete—fairly and fiercely—to take the helm of the Jackson Zoo. The result could be a statewide model of innovation and engagement.
There was one with JSU for the tiger and the school pulled out a few years ago. Lumumba already said he'd rather bring in Tuskegee than Mississippi universities
I know Chokwe has kept the Zoo open only because of his foolish pride. Will Horhn do the same? Anyone know?
If having a really good zoo is a desirable feature for a community (and I tend to think it is), why would Madison or Rankin counties not make it happen--either with bond financing for a public operation or tax incentives to a private venture? If partnering with a major university is beneficial, MSU seems best situated to support the effort and thereby provide research and training opportunities for its faculty and students. If this project were commenced, the Jackson Zoo's merciful demise will happen sooner rather than later. I pity the poor creatures that remain in that west Jackson hellscape.
Of course, there's lots I don't know about starting a zoo, so this may be a stupid idea.
12:36 here. forgot to close out that html tag
Cypress Point in Rankin seems to have a pretty good start on what could become a full zoo experience. And it's halfway to Starkvegas!
Kingfish, out of curiosity how do those numbers compare with the Hattiesburg Zoo?
Put water/sewer/airport into regional authorities.
If by regional authority your reference is to combine Jackson water/sewer facilities with the operations of other surrounding municipalities, then let me quickly advise that isn't going to happen.
As for the Jackson tax base, it was tapped out long, long ago.
@12:56 Unlike those other states Mississippi has only one university with programs that might encompass support for hands-on animal research and care at a zoo. That would be Miss. State and it is doubtful if the IHL and Jackson could collaborate on some favorable arrangement. Also the funding needed for establishing such programs at JSU is impossible given it's status with the IHL. Maybe a little help could come from Hinds Comm. College but that's also a stretch. It's a good idea that simply won't work here.
Kamper Park and Zoo in Hattiesburg is a real jewel in the heart of the city. A Google search indicates there are over 100 animals there. If Hattiesburg can maintain a zoom of roughly similar size, why can't Jackson? (Rhetorical question.)
Half correct, Fish. Bad site, but also bad location.
Just because some folks see a piece of land on this side of town doesn't make it a good location! Hell, a better 'location' that would also be a 'good site' is the old Texaco & Cabot Lodge land, along with the old golf course, next to Milsaps. At least there it would be walkable for the few folks that would bother to attend.
But more important is 10:40's comment, but amplified. A city that cannot maintain its streets or water has no business with a zoo. LETS ADD: Cannot maintain a library, much less four of its libraries; cannot maintain its parks; cannot maintain its landfill; cannot maintain its performing arts center; cannot keep the trash from piling up on its blighted properties; cannot cut the grass in its cemetaries or along its streets; need I go on?
The only thing this city can kinda do is rename its streets and sometimes put on festivals to show off it being a city with soul. Everything else has been a failure. So why on earth would one think the city should continue to claim it is maintaining, much less build, a new zoo?
The first step must be a bold one: transfer management, ownership, and daily operations of the Jackson Zoo to a higher institution of learning. The mayor of Jackson has voiced support for his alma mater, Tuskegee—but this isn’t about choosing favorites. It’s about creating a future for the zoo rooted in education, innovation, and community impact. Let the decision be made now to hand it over—whether to Ole Miss, Tuskegee, JSU, MSU, or Alcorn—and then let them duke it out with their best proposals. The strongest vision should lead. It’s time to reimagine the Jackson Zoo as a center of learning, conservation, and civic pride. Let’s make it a new day.
Let’s give it a try—for the sake of the animals, the community, and all of us.
The first step is clear: the decision must be made to transfer management and operations of the Jackson Zoo to an institution of higher learning. That’s the first rung on the ladder. Once we commit to that path, the second step is choosing which institution takes the lead—whether it’s Alcorn, MSU, Hinds Community College, JSU, or Tuskegee. Hinds, with its established campus and workforce programs, is a strong contender and should not be overlooked.
Let them duke it out—bring their best ideas, their strongest teams, and a clear vision for what the zoo can become. But none of this can happen until the Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) step in and offer the structure for transition.
This is a win-win. It’s doable. And it’s time.
The first step is to make the decision to transfer management of the zoo to a university. Once that foundational step is taken, the next is to determine which institution will lead.
I had the privilege of working with the pandas Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. That zoo, like ours, is located just on the edge of the city—a placement that makes sense. In fact, it’s about four miles from the museums on the National Mall to the D.C. zoo, just as it is here from the Children’s Museum to the Jackson Zoo.
The location is ideal. With nearby student housing, the area could take on a youthful energy and begin a transition toward vibrancy and revitalization. The potential is all there—it simply starts with that first step.
@5/12/25 at 11:25 am .... yes. you can also google it.
@5/12/25 at 2:01 pm ... is Cypress Point McClain's? Same owners or different?
Maybe Horhn will finally let Jackson donate its remaining "inventory" of animals to another zoo or zoos.
New Zoo developers request meeting on their yacht to discuss accelerated zoo plans. Mayor, Hinds DA and Council invited.
I recall a wonderful class trip to the zoo in the late 80's. It's heartbreaking to see it now.
If Horhn closes it, he will immediately have at least some of my respect.
I used to go to the zoo as a child with my daddy in the late 70's/early 80's, it was INCREDIBLE then, the monkeys and the seals (SEALS!!) were my favorite exhibits! The zoo was always packed with families and school field trip groups.
re: 3:37,
I believe they are the same people. http://www.McClain.ms redirects you to the Cypress Point Resort website.
Ah yes...per FB post (https://www.facebook.com/McClainResort/) on 7/3/24, they rebranded to Cypress.
Hey 1:06 PM What make you think Horhn going to win? Dancing in the endzone aren't we?
poor animals.
Post a Comment