A former Honolulu Zoo director said the facility’s next leader should have zoo experience, and warned that city officials are risking accreditation by not heeding the call for improvements and upgrades.
Jeffrey Wilkinson, on the job since April, announced his resignation to zoo staff Sunday. Wilkinson, who graduated from Punahou School, said he made the decision to return to California to care for his elderly parents following the death of a sister.
Wilkinson is the fourth zoo director to resign in the past five years, and the third since March 2013.
Manuel Mollinedo, who left the job in March 2013, said the city’s failure to provide more resources to the zoo leaves it in danger of losing its accreditation by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Loss of the accreditation would severely hurt the zoo’s reputation and hinder its ability to both breed and bring in exotic animals from elsewhere.
"I think they’re going to be really challenged to receive that reaccreditation again," he said.
Mollinedo also said the two directors who succeeded him, Wilkinson and Jeffrey Mahon, were hired based on their managerial skills and did not have the experience or knowledge to fight for the zoo’s priorities.
"I think it’s going to weigh very, very heavily when the AZA accreditation commission comes out to visit the zoo and see if it gets reaccredited," he said.
"Part of the problem is that the city really doesn’t respect the position of zoo director," Mollinedo said. "I think they make assumptions that you can bring any kind of a manager in there and things will run smoothly."
Mollinedo said he was told his main priority was to ensure the zoo was reaccredited after the zoo association put Honolulu on "deferral" status in March 2011, citing long delays in completing an elephant enclosure. After completion in December 2011 of a new 1.5-acre elephant exhibit, the association announced the following April that full accreditation would be restored through 2016.
But pleas from the zoo staff to keep the facilities up to par since then have not been heeded, Mollinedo said.
"We barely squeaked through when we were reaccredited," he said. The accreditation team "saw improvement, but it was laid out to me that the AZA expected to see ongoing improvements."
Officials with both the Carlisle and Caldwell administrations said the city had higher financial priorities and that the zoo needed to make do with its existing resources, he said.
While the decision to retire was solely his own, Mollinedo said, frustration with the political battles played a role.
During a recent return visit to Hawaii and the facility, Mollinedo said, he saw zoo employees who are still frustrated and worried about losing accreditation.
Mollinedo said he also wants to see the Friends of the Honolulu Zoo take on a more active role in fundraising and put less focus on programs.
City Council Parks, Community and Customer Service Chairwoman Kymberly Pine said the recent resignations by zoo directors trouble her.
"It’s clear to me that there’s something wrong going on with the function of the zoo and we need to fix it," Pine said. "I definitely will be seeking out all of the directors that served to get answers, to see if there is something truly that is wrong about the way the zoo is run that’s causing directors to leave, or if it’s just coincidence."
Pine said she wants to look into whether the zoo director is paid enough, and whether "outside influences" are making it difficult for the director to the job as necessary.
City Managing Director Roy Amemiya told reporters Monday that the city’s top priority in the wake of Wilkinson’s resignation is, "Make sure that our animals are well cared for."
He noted that acting zoo Director Baird Fleming has done the job previously, "is a veterinarian … comes with a lot of zoo experience" and has been working on the accreditation process. "He has a lot of passion for the zoo and has a good working relationship with the staff, and that is certainly going to help us as we move forward."
Mollinedo said he is baffled over why Fleming, whom he hired, hasn’t been selected as director.
Amemiya said the city will also try to work quickly through the civil service process to hire Wilkinson’s replacement. The job pays between $92,868 and $154,592.
"Clearly, the fact that there are so few zoo directors makes it a challenge to hire into that position," Amemiya said.
