New Zoo Direction

By Associated Press

Tulsa, OK – Tulsa Zoo soon to be managed privately

TULSA, Okla. (AP) Management responsibilities for the Tulsa Zoo soon will be privatized, even as the city retains ownership of the facility.

A major step in that process takes place Monday as the Tulsa Zoo Friends board is expected to vote to change the name of the nonprofit organization to Tulsa Zoo Management Inc.

The Tulsa Zoo Friends board also is expected to vote to become the advisory board for the new organization. A vote also is expected to approve a 13-member board for the new organization that will include a seat for Tulsa's mayor.

Mayor Dewey Bartlett says the zoo long has been underfunded and that the city cannot afford to give the facility the level of financial responsibility that is needed.

He says the privatization model has worked at other large zoos.

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Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com