Honolulu Zoo officials this month submitted an application for accreditation to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and hope to win approval by April, some four years after the facility was stripped of its association status.

The city submitted an application to the AZA on Sept. 1, and zoo director Linda Santos said Wednesday that she’s anticipating members of the AZA Accreditation Commission will conduct site inspection visits in December or January so that an accreditation hearing can take place at the organization’s mid-year conference in Palm Springs in April.

Once the site inspections are over and inspection documents are reviewed by the full commission, “they will then tell you if there’s anything else that needs to be corrected or updated before we go to the mid-year conference,” Santos said.

Santos said she and her staff believe they’ve done what’s needed to satisfy the concerns raised by the AZA when it declined to re-accredit the zoo in March 2016.

“We’re in good shape,” Santos said. “The zoo’s looking really good. We’re pretty confident.”

Unstable leadership and the lack of a dedicated source of funding were the two main issues cited by AZA officials when they rejected re-accreditation.

>> Photo Gallery: Honolulu Zoo reopens Malay sun bear exhibit

Since then, Oahu voters in November 2016 adopted an amendment to the City Charter requiring 0.5% of annual property tax revenues goes to a special zoo fund, a move that has provided the zoo with $6 million-$8 million annually.

Meanwhile, after the zoo went through a string of six directors over an eight-year period, Santos has led the facility since September 2017. Upon assuming the job, Santos said it would take about two years to catch up on a long list of deferred maintenance projects before the zoo would be ready to apply again for accreditation.

The AZA’s core mission is to promote the advancement of zoos and aquariums “in the areas of conservation, education, science and recreation,” according to the nonprofit’s website. Less than 10% of the approximately 2,800 wildlife exhibitors licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture meet AZA accreditation standards, the website said.

On Wednesday, Mayor Kirk Caldwell joined Santos and zoo staff in reopening the recently refurbished, 5,000-square-foot Malay sun bear exhibit. It’s the first time that female Juwita, 24, and male Blackie, 23, have been available for public viewing in about four years, Santos said.

“We’ve had the bears for some time (they arrived in 2008) but they were in an antiquated exhibit with chain link,” Santos said. The bears’ refurbished home, re-done for about $400,000, includes a modified cave, more grassy area and an upgraded climbing structure. A new viewing glass makes it easier for visitors to observe them.

Sun bears, which originate from tropical forest habitats in Southeast Asia, are the smallest among the bear species and typically weigh no more than 200 pounds. The jet-black creatures with light-colored muzzles, a bib-shaped yellow or white patch on their chests and cream-colored, sickle-shaped claws are omnivores and use their long tongues to feed on insects, honey and fruit.

Sun bears are not considered endangered, but are listed as vulnerable on the Red List put out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Deforestation has been shrinking their habitat lands while poachers have also been an issue.

Other improvements at the zoo include a new spider monkey exhibit that is expected to open in the coming months, Santos said. Also on tap is a new bird facility that will be placed near the nene exhibit toward the front of the zoo. A more long-term project involves exhibits that spotlight species native to Hawaii, she said.

In November 2017, the zoo opened a $3 million Ectotherm Complex that houses lizards, snakes, salamanders, tortoises and other cold-blooded animals. The facility replaced the Reptile House which was dedicated in 1964.

The move to dedicated funding was a key step showing city and community commitment to the Waikiki facility.

The Honolulu Zoo Society has also been supportive, especially when it comes to providing materials or equipment that need to be purchased quickly, Santos said.