PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — The Pueblo Zoological Society, who operates the Pueblo Zoo, presented their annual update at the Pueblo City Council Work Session on Monday.
While referring to the budget proposal from the mayor and Pueblo City Council, Abbie Krause, the Pueblo Zoo's Executive Director, said the zoo is facing a deficit. She also said if it's not addressed, the zoo could close in three to four years.
“We understand that the City is facing extreme economic challenges and have tough choices to make. The zoo is doing everything we can to cut expenses and raise revenue in order to sustain the zoo. But, the reality is that if funding continues to decrease, we will exhaust our reserves in three to four years or less. The zoo is unlikely to pass their next accreditation cycle in 2028 due to financial instability. There are a lot of wonderful things happening at the zoo that we don’t want to lose. The Pueblo Zoo has moved into being an endangered species and we are looking to our community to help keep us from extinction,” said Krause.
According to a 2024 impact study conducted by CSU Pueblo, the Pueblo Zoo contributes $20 million to the community through employment, tourism and purchasing.
Last week, Pueblo City Council voted to put a question on the November ballot asking voters to increase the city's sales tax by 1% to help with the deficit.
Krause also mentioned the zoo provides educational programming for more than 10,000 students a year, and they have been a tradition in Pueblo for 90 years.
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