{"id":36235,"date":"2025-11-03T18:44:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T18:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/36235\/"},"modified":"2025-11-03T18:44:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T18:44:15","slug":"santa-ana-zoo-looks-forward-with-new-accreditation-exhibits-orange-county-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/36235\/","title":{"rendered":"Santa Ana Zoo looks forward with new accreditation, exhibits \u2013 Orange County Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

After nearly a decade, the Santa Ana Zoo has regained full accreditation from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums<\/a> \u2014 the independent, nonprofit organization that sets standards for facilities across the country and globally.<\/p>\n

The city-owned zoo joins more than 250 facilities the association has accredited nationwide, including the San Diego and Los Angeles zoos, signifying Santa Ana now meets its rigorous standards for animal care, veterinary services, facility safety, and financial health.<\/p>\n

\"Irma<\/p>\n

Irma Medina cleans the underwater viewing window at the new Giant River Otter habitat at the Santa Ana Zoo in Santa Ana on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. The Giant River Otter and Primate Trails habitats will be located in the River\u2019s Edge section of the zoo. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The new Giant River Otter habitat, located in the River\u2019s Edge section of the Santa Ana Zoo in Santa Ana, on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, features a underwater viewing window. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The River\u2019s Edge sign at the Santa Ana Zoo in Santa Ana on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. River\u2019s Edge will feature the Giant River Otter and Primate Trails habitats. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A fish sculpture at the entrance to the Giant River Otter and Primate Trails Habit at the Santa Ana Zoo in Santa Ana on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The River\u2019s Edge will feature the new Primate Trails Habitat at the Santa Ana Zoo in Santa Ana on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Mexican<\/p>\n

Mexican spider monkeys at the Santa Ana Zoo in Santa Ana on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025 will be moved into the new Primate Trails Habitat in the River\u2019s Edge section of the zoo. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A radiated tortoise at the Santa Ana Zoo in Santa Ana on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The elevated primate trail crosses over the Giant River Otter habitat at the Santa Ana Zoo in Santa Ana on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Jill<\/p>\n

Jill Sanders, the animal care lead at the Santa Ana Zoo is pictured next to the mountain yellow-legged frog aquariums in Santa Ana on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Flight<\/p>\n

Flight \u2013 A live butterfly experience at the Santa Ana Zoo in Santa Ana on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025 is closed for the season. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Mountain<\/p>\n

Mountain yellow-legged frogs, native to the San Gabriel, San Jacinto, and San Bernardino mountains in California, are kept in aquariums during their metamorphosis at the Santa Ana Zoo in Santa Ana on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Director<\/p>\n

Director of the Santa Ana Zoo Ethan Fisher at the zoo in Santa Ana on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 12<\/p>\n

Irma Medina cleans the underwater viewing window at the new Giant River Otter habitat at the Santa Ana Zoo in Santa Ana on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. The Giant River Otter and Primate Trails habitats will be located in the River\u2019s Edge section of the zoo. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

The accreditation marks a major transformation for the zoo, underscored by new projects and upgrades<\/a>, including the upcoming River\u2019s Edge exhibit<\/a>, a multi-species habitat set to open this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the biggest animal project we\u2019ve ever done \u2014 the most complex \u2014 and it\u2019s gonna be really special,\u201d said the zoo\u2019s director, Ethan Fisher, who has worked at the institution since 2001.<\/p>\n

The exhibit is a significant upgrade from its 25- to 30-year-old predecessor, which Fisher said was plagued by a broken filtration system and forced animals to be indoors for up to 15 hours a day, a situation that compromised their well-being. Designed with modern zoological practices in mind, the new habitat prioritizes the animals\u2019 ability to choose their environment, and features an overhead trail system and areas with heaters.<\/p>\n

Its inhabitants will include giant South American river otters, howler monkeys and golden lion tamarins, but the primary residents are a group of nine spider monkeys. This group represents a core part of the zoo\u2019s conservation mission, as most were victims of illegal wildlife trafficking from Mexico and Central America.<\/p>\n

Fisher said the trafficking of Mexican spider monkeys into the United States, usually as infants to be pets, is an ongoing issue. He added that \u201ca lot of them don\u2019t survive all the rigors of all this.\u201d<\/p>\n

The zoo\u2019s group includes eight juveniles, all less than a year old and confiscated from situations in Texas and California, often arriving malnourished. An adult monkey has been integrated into the group to help the young, orphaned \u201cspiders\u201d develop natural behaviors.<\/p>\n

Interactive educational displays along the exhibit will provide information on deforestation, wildlife trafficking, and rainforest conservation.<\/p>\n

River\u2019s Edge is one of several upgrades planned at the Santa Ana Zoo as it rebounds from the loss of its accreditation in 2017<\/a> \u2014 a status it had maintained since the 1980s.<\/p>\n

The zoo struggled in the 2008 financial crisis, which led to staff cuts and challenges funding modernizations to outdated exhibits, said Fisher. The cuts had left the zoo unable to replace aging facilities quickly enough to keep pace with modern zoological standards, including designs emphasizing space and natural environments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe definitely tried to preserve animal care staffing, \u201d Fisher said, \u201cbut \u2026 education, maintenance, administration, it definitely took a little bit of a hit.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2018, the city crafted a master plan <\/a>focused on primate and local species conservation and more opportunities for local community participation that helped pave the way for the zoo\u2019s revitalization. That includes a robust program conserving mountain yellow-legged frogs, native to the Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains.<\/p>\n

According to Fisher, since 2021, approximately $24 million has gone toward completed upgrades and ongoing projects, including roughly $8 million from state and private funding. Another $1.6 million was raised by the Friends of Santa Ana Zoo Foundation, with the rest of the balance from city funding allocated from the yearly zoo budget, youth benefit and other development funds.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have the most staff we\u2019ve ever had and the largest budget we\u2019ve ever had. We\u2019ve completely done a 180 from where we were,\u201d said Fisher.<\/p>\n

The AZA accreditation will also unlock new opportunities for the zoo, making it eligible for special grants and allows for participation in international conservation programs and initiatives, city officials said. Upcoming modernizations include upgrades to primate exhibits and habitats, and a new education facility dedicated to the zoo\u2019s educational programs, with construction set to begin in the next few weeks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After nearly a decade, the Santa Ana Zoo has regained full accreditation from the Association of Zoos &…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36236,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164,7,179,1071,23,611,338,136],"class_list":["post-36235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news","tag-california","tag-community","tag-local-government","tag-local-news","tag-orange-county","tag-santa-ana","tag-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36235"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36235\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}