ASHEBORO, N.C. (WGHP)-
North Carolina Zoo officials are proposing privatization, saying government red tape is keeping them from improving the venue as quickly as they would like.
The zoo has hired a consultant to determine exactly how privatization would work, and they hope to get a copy of the consultant's report by the end of the month.
Not only does a slow-moving bureaucracy worry state officials. So do state budget cuts.
"For example, on our polar bear exhibit, we were given the money, and then it was frozen for six months. We had money for repair. It was taken away and given back. We just can't plan on anything," said Mary Joan Pugh with the zoo.
Privatization could also lead to more donors for the zoo as delays lessen and money for projects becomes more dependable, Pugh said.
"A lot of time when a project gets delayed, the donor gets weary. The experience with other zoos is that their donors have increased," Pugh said.
Many major zoos, like the world-famous San Diego Zoo, are privately-run. The North Carolina Zoo has been state-run since it opened in 1974.
The proposal would result in no job losses, as all current state employees would become employees of the new, private entity, Pugh said.
Zoo officials plan on presenting the consultant's report to the state legislature. The proposal is in the very early stages and could take months if not years to get through.
