Improved Los Angeles Zoo Gets 5-Year Seal of Approval

The Los Angeles Zoo on Thursday won re-accreditation by the American Zoo and Aquarium Assn. for five years--a sign the zoo has greatly improved since 1995, when accreditation was denied by the same group for a year.

In a 20-page report, three accreditation inspectors headed by Louisville, Ky., Zoo Director William Foster said, “The entire fabric and look of the facility has been positively addressed” since then.

Noting higher attendance and higher per-capita spending on the zoo, the report was particularly enthusiastic about improvements in veterinary services and the botanical setting in which the animals live.

But the inspection team, which included San Antonio Zoo Director Steve McCusker and Terrie Correll, curator of the Living Desert in Palm Desert, did have some criticisms.

They called the animal collection “geriatric,” meaning the animals, on average, are too old, and said their diet should be enhanced.

And they said the zoo’s support organization, the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn., has too much authority over the zoo and should stick mainly to fund-raising. The association, a nonprofit auxiliary, runs the zoo docent program and plays a large role in its education and public relations efforts.

The report noted that the support organization’s director, Don Youpa, is paid more than zoo Director Manuel A. Mollinedo, whose salary is about $164,000. Youpa would not say how much he is paid, but he told the Chronicle of Philanthropy when he was hired last year that the zoo association promised him a 10% increase over his previous salary of $225,000 if he increased public contributions to the zoo by at least 15% this fiscal year.

Although Mollinedo said he was elated by the largely positive tone of the report, he also observed that it had noted that “Youpa is paid significantly more than me.”

“You really do not have the zoo director as head of the zoo right now,” he said. “Some question whether the support organization clearly recognizes the zoo director and the city as being responsible.”

Youpa, while saying that he believes the role currently played by the support organization is appropriate, added: “As far as I’m concerned, it is the Mollinedo zoo, it’s certainly not the Youpa zoo.”

Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn said Thursday that he was pleased with the accreditation, which he said confirms “that we are back on track to becoming a world-class zoo.”

The American Zoo and Aquarium Assn., which represents 201 accredited zoos and aquariums in North America, had complained in 1995 that bureaucratic problems and conditions were so bad at the zoo that the animals’ health was in jeopardy.

This time, however, the group’s inspectors were much happier.

“A notable achievement has been the zoo’s designation as a city department,” they reported. Their separation from under the auspices of the Parks and Recreation Department has essentially been completed and allows for a more self-directed future.

Noting that the electorate had generously voted $110 million for the zoo, the inspectors said it now had the ability to address long-neglected infrastructure and facility needs cited in past inspections.

“Water, electrical and communication system renovations have been tackled,” they wrote. “Extensive planning and design has occurred. Shortcomings, such as the veterinary hospital, quarantine facility and commissary, are nearing completion and occupancy.”

Mollinedo said Thursday that he is working toward obtaining younger animals and that deliberations about hiring a nutritionist for the zoo are underway.