The Zoo Asks For Additional Funds They Already Raised

Tell me, what has the Salisbury Zoo done to deserve any more funds from the Public? It seems to me that taxes are on the rise and the Salisbury Zoo is nothing less than a burden on the community.

Granted, having a Zoo is a wonderful thing for "any" community but the "Pride of Salisbury" is now nothing more than a complete embarrassment any more.

Known for numerous dead animals, trash all over the river, illegal chemicals and raw sewage being dumped into the river, multiple lies to the public about their actual inventory going from their proud 500 animals all the way down to 115 animals left as well as multiple lies about animal deaths each month. The Zoo has become a final resting place for any animal entering its gates.

Even most recently there were two noticeable organizations that had eliminated themselves from the Christmas Day Parade and that was the Salisbury Police Department and the Salisbury Zoo. They don't give back and say thank you, unless there's money in it for them. Again, the Zoo is no longer the pride of the City and this was caused by its Director, Jim Rapp and Chairman/President of the Zoo Commission, Ron Alessi.

The Salisbury Zoo, (which was named one of the top 10 Zoo's in America back in the 70's) is now a disgrace under the current leadership which refuses to ask for an admission at the gates and demands to keep this a Free Zoo. This would be fine if they weren't looking for some $36,000,000.00 for a new Master Plan! This would be fine if taxes weren't about to skyrocket in the City next year!

It has been suggested by other Zoo Commission Members that they ask for a minimal charge at the gates and Alessi goes absolutely nuts whenever anyone even suggests it and immediately states, "Not while I'm alive!" How about $1.00 to enter if you live outside the City of Salisbury? This isn't asking for too much, is it?

Instead, ALL of you are subjected to misleading letters like the one above asking you for even more money for the Zoo for exhibits that have already been FULLY PAID FOR! They admit this right in their own letter. The Hazel Family donated some $250,000.00 to the Zoo for this exhibit but since Alessi is hot off the campaign trail and realizes that if you just ask people for money, some people will in fact do so from the kindness of their hearts.

Similar to the Audobon Zoo in New Orleans who didn't need a penny, instead they needed physical help, Rapp reached out to the local public and asked for donations they didn't even need! He then doubled it by taking money they had raised from a fund raiser and sent the funds in the name of the Zoo and not the people who donated the money. Nevertheless, the Audobon Zoo didn't need the funds and the Salisbury Zoo could have used these funds to build out a $2,000,000.00 building the AZA is demanding the Zoo build immediately.

I could go on and on about the wrongs within the management of the Salisbury Zoo. However, what's important here is the burden Ron Alessi and Jim Rapp are placing on the Citizens of Salisbury. 70% of the residential homes in the City of Salisbury are renters. This means they are depending on 30% of the people in Salisbury to carry this huge load. I say huge because once the Master Plan is built out, who's going to foot the bill to do the upkeep on the buildings? Who's going to come up with the additional income to pay for the full time Veterinarian the AZA is demanding the have on duty? Eho's going to pay for the additional Staff to care the the animals? Who's going to pay for the food to feed these animals? You know who that person will be, YOU!

I was at the Zoo Commission Meeting where I personally asked Ron Alessi just how much money of the Master Plan was going to come from the Citizens and he replied, "Not A Dime."

They claimed they were going to reach out for Corporate Funds and apply for Grants. They even suggested they might hire yet another grant writer, (something Carrie Sammis was hired to do and got a HUGE raise for doing so) so they could raise even more money. They even talked about hiring a fund raising company who would take 40% od the money raised for themselves, meaning they'd have to raise many more millions of dollars to pay that company off and then pay for the Master Plan Build Out.

My suggestion to all of you is, don't give the Salisbury Zoo a Penny! Let them do their jobs for once and raise the funds they need through outside sources. If they can do so on their own, well, Rapp will finally be doing something all Directors of Zoo's are hired to do, keep the Zoo free from taking money from taxpayers.

This may teach Rapp and Alessi that if you raise $30,000.00 at a Halloween event, they may not be so quick to send $15,000.00 of it to a third world country and actually keep it here in their own Zoo!

I am all for a wonderful Zoo in Salisbury. However, it's time they start acting responsible and carry their own weight. You may not like what I'm saying here, you may not even agree with what I'm saying. However, a small admission would create quite a bit of relief and that relief is on you the taxpayers. If they have 350,000 people coming through the doors each year and they only asked for $1.00, that's an additional $350,000.00 towards salaries and or feeding all the animals for an entire year.

Sending out mailers asking for funds for an exhibit they already raised all the funds for is simply over the top though. Instead, send a care package to our Troops who are actually making a difference for ALL of us this year.