After more than a year outside the Association of Zoos and Aquariums club, the City of El Paso says the El Paso Zoo is in full repair-and-reset mode. City leaders are pitching the effort as a targeted attack on long-ignored maintenance and workplace practices, with construction projects and leadership moves queued up for this season. They continue to insist animal care stayed strong through the turmoil and say the heavy lift now is mostly about buildings, systems, and procedures.
City pairs the zoo with an AZA mentor
According to KFOX14/CBS4, Deputy City Manager Richard Bristol said the zoo has entered the Association of Zoos and Aquariums peer-mentor program and has been assigned a mentor to help pull day-to-day maintenance back in line with accreditation standards. Bristol also told reporters the city brought in a “culture coach” to strengthen staff training and on-the-job practices. He said the South American Pavilion, one of the spots AZA evaluators called out, is slated for construction work in the fall.
What the AZA found
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums formally declined El Paso’s accreditation after its mid-year review, according to AZA, which cited deferred maintenance in older guest areas as a key reason. The organization’s public notice spells out that accreditation covers visitor safety, animal care, and operations, and lays out how facilities can appeal or reapply. That decision effectively forced the zoo to either challenge the ruling or finish the capital projects needed before taking another run at accreditation.
City response and repairs
According to a City of El Paso news release, officials said AZA evaluators praised the zoo’s veterinary program and animal-welfare practices, even as they flagged aging infrastructure such as the South American Pavilion. The release said roof and HVAC work on that pavilion had already wrapped up and that interior renovations were scheduled to start later. It also noted the city planned to appeal the AZA decision if necessary. Mayor Renard Johnson and City Manager Dionne Mack were quoted as expressing confidence that the zoo will regain accreditation once the upgrades are finished.
Exactly what is broken, and the money behind fixes
Local reporting and the AZA inspection highlighted issues such as a rotting wooden boardwalk and damaged wiring in older exhibits, problems city officials describe as primarily structural rather than animal-care related. KVIA reported that zoo operations run about $8 million a year, while admissions and events bring in roughly $2 million in revenue. City leaders say about $3 million in reserves could be tapped for capital projects, and they have emphasized that spending choices will follow a capital plan tied to the zoo’s revenue picture and budget priorities.
Leadership and timeline
City Hall is also working on the leadership side. Deputy City Manager Bristol told reporters the city had completed an initial round of director interviews and would bring finalists to City Hall for in-person interviews on May 27, with a final round set for May 29, according to KFOX14/CBS4. Bristol said internal candidates from within the zoo are in the mix, while an interim director keeps daily operations running. Former director Joe Montisano was placed on administrative leave last year and later left the job, a shakeup that added extra urgency to the accreditation campaign.
Officials say the work, from staff training to exhibit repairs, is meant to bake AZA standards into everyday routines so the facility can reapply for accreditation once the projects are finished, the City of El Paso added. The exact timing will depend on construction schedules and how quickly the director search wraps up, with officials saying they expect firmer dates after final interviews conclude. For now, the zoo remains open to visitors and events while the city tries to fix what AZA flagged and claw its way back into accredited status.
