For some zoo, the funds they raise go to conservation efforts to help keep the animals thriving. The Indianapolis zoo, according to Deborah Olson, executive director of the International Elephant Foundation and director of conservation and science at the Indianapolis Zoo, has given over $800,000 since 1999 to support more than 50 projects in at least eight countries on four continents; however, their again are raised by a zoo that receives thousands of visitors everyday. The problem that comes into effect on whether or not zoos can afford new enclosures that are adequate for their mammals depends on the amount of visitors they receive. According to the Toronto zoo over half their funds come from their visitors. For the Lincoln Park Zoo, 50% of their annual budget of $600,000 comes from admission fees (Cain and Meritt 304). But fortunately for these zoos, they are accredited, but zoos that are not accredited do not have the public’s trust meaning they do not receive as many visitors. This is a result of people choosing to go to zoos they believe are ethical. The Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary in 2007 was in $60,000 dollars of credit card debt (Grant). This zoo is not an accredited zoo and this status is most likely one of the reasons why they suffered. If a zoo is struggling financially, the animals of those zoos are struggling as well …show more content…
For zoos to attain this status, the AZA’s Accreditation Commission has to evaluate the zoo’s care and management of their animals, their veterinary program, involvement in conservation and research, education programs, safety policies and procedures, security, physical facilities, guest services, and the quality of the institution's staff (Accreditation Basics). With this being said, zoos then have to pay money to conservation efforts to save animals that they might just keep in their own zoos. According to Toronto’s budgeting plan for 2015, they decided on paying approximately $17.8 million for conservation and sciences which includes enclosures. The Toronto zoo is one of the most acclaimed zoos in the world and has set the standard for zoos across the world. They are also one of the few zoos that has a panda exhibit which is something that China only awards to the best zoos. Other zoos such as the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas have seen the need to increase their enclosures for animals like the African Elephants that can roam hundreds of miles a day. This zoo has planned to spend $8 million to $10 million on a 4-acre exhibit to immerse their visitors into the world of elephants. These zoos are some of the only ways their visitors will ever get to see these animals in person, so for them the care of these mammals is at the top of