Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 30, 1995 TAG: 9509300008
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MATT CHITTUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But animals won't be getting loose; they'll be coming in.
The 44-year-old mountaintop facility was accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Society.
"It's like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval," said Beth Poff, the zoo's executive director. Mill Mountain is only the second zoo in Virginia to earn the accreditation, and one of 172 in the country. The Virginia Zoological Park in Norfolk also is accredited by the society.
Besides giving the zoo a nice plaque to hang at the entrance, the accreditation also provides more opportunities for growth and improvements.
Poff said that with American Zoo and Aquarium Society affiliation, the zoo has access to more grants and foundations, which means more money for more pens and cages.
It also means more exotic animals.
Since most animals are lent rather than bought, Poff said, having the society's stamp tells other zoos - potential animal lenders - that Mill Mountain is a top-quality organization.
The zoo applied for the designation a year ago.
In June, the staff endured a vigorous two-day inspection by a team of professionals from other zoos and aquariums of similar size and nature as Mill Mountain. The volunteer inspectors checked out everything from animal care and the zoo's holding areas to training and educational programs to the zoo's records. The team even inspected the North Roanoke office of Valley Animal Hospital's Dr. Bill Poage, the official zoo veterinarian.
"I was a nervous wreck the whole time they were here," said senior zoo keeper Beth Hartsel.
At a news conference Friday, Poff shared credit for the achievement with the zoo's paid and volunteer staff. She also presented a plaque - which she received from society Director Sydney Butler in Seattle two weeks ago - to Hartsel.
Poff said the accreditation became an objective six years ago, but she waited to apply for it until she and the staff were confident they would get it. This was their first application.
Poff said she and the staff were not concerned about the quality of the zoo itself. The one inspection area she sweated over, though, was the funding.
While the zoo operates with a limited budget, Poff said the inspectors' concerns were put to rest after a look at the zoo's plans for growth.
But all that will come under scrutiny again in five years, when the zoo is up for reaccreditation.
by CNB