Niabi Zoo is one of the Quad Cities top tourism generators.
Six years ago it became a member of the highest quality group of zoos.
Since then, Niabi has seen a variety of changes, from different zoo directors, to the death of a Bengal tiger.
Now the Zoo is dealing with the loss of its accreditation.
After the Association of Zoos and Aquariums toughened up some of its requirements.
The new rules are leaving Niabi with a list of things to fix.
The AZA says the Zoo didn't have enough staff to maintain animal records.
That will be fixed, the Forest Preserve Board President says the board will hire a curator to pick up those responsibilities.
The Zoo needs another veterinary technician and they'll need to add money to the budget to create an opening.
But the big one is animal enclosures.
And that's an issue that will take time to fix.
"They just changed that standard and so we don't have the capability, or the money to reflect and react that quick," says Rock Island County Forest Preserve Board Commissioner Jim Bohnsack.
He says it was a bit of a shock to lose the AZA accreditation. The Zoo prized that status. But it no longer meets all the AZA requirements. And will need to make changes.
Day to day activities aren't going to change at the Zoo even without the accreditation, you can still come up to the ticket booth, one please, get yourself a ticket and see the animals.
But the lion cage is out of date. And the AZA wants to see Zoos with elephants have herds, which means Niabi needs space for a third elephant.
"There are big zoos that can build a fifty million dollar facility quickly, and so we're asking for five million, it's going to take some time to do that fundraiser," says Bohnsack.
The lion exhibit will be rebuilt this winter. But the elephant exhibit will take longer. A new one costs up to five million dollars. Double the Zoo's entire yearly budget. And the board doesn't want to raise the money from county property owners.
"I think we owe it to the taxpayers to be as conservative as we are and we feel we are ok, where we're at," says Bohnsack.
Zoo Director Marc Heinzman says the Zoo will start raising money in January. Ticket sales have raised 500 thousand dollars in the last two years. But if the capital campaign doesn't finish the job, the zoo may have to ask the County for more tax money.
"If it's not successful as it needs to be, we will have to turn back to the community," says Heinzman.
