“Really what becoming AZA certified means,” said Troy
Cooper, the zoo director. “Is that it opens more doors for us, and makes it easier
to do more things.”
For instance, Cooper said that it will be easier for the zoo
to get more animals. He said a lot of accredited zoos won’t deal with non-accredited
zoos. They see the AZA certification as a stamp of approval. He said it shows that the
zoo can safely take care of the animals.
Barbara Tew, the education director, said becoming AZA
certified would also benefit the customers.
“If you buy a family pass you get to come to our zoo for
free,” Tew said. “But you can also use that pass to go to other zoos for free. Once
we’re AZA certified we can get you into all of the great zoos for our little
tiny price. So then it becomes a real benefit for the people in the valley."
Tew said this would be a big change -- because, as of now,
many zoos won’t reciprocate or work with Willow Park Zoo because it isn't
AZA certified.
Tew and Cooper both agree that there is still a lot of work to
do.
Cooper said there is still about 100 feet of fence that needs to go up and old exhibits to renovate. However, he said that he can feel the energy and excitement growing.
Cooper said there is still about 100 feet of fence that needs to go up and old exhibits to renovate. However, he said that he can feel the energy and excitement growing.
“We’re making
progress towards it,” Cooper said. “It’s going to take us a lot of work and a
few more years. But now, any time we make a new addition to the zoo, we try to
make it compliant with AZA standards.”
Cooper said the new gift shop that will open on Saturday
will help the zoo get closer to the goal of becoming AZA certified. He said
this will provide a source of revenue to continue updating the zoo.
**To see a full list of benefits of AZA accreditation go to: https://www.aza.org/what-is-accreditation/
**To see a full list of benefits of AZA accreditation go to: https://www.aza.org/what-is-accreditation/
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