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*Taking blood from the Zoo's goats to feed vampire bats.
*Housing reptiles for months on end in a concrete building without sunlight.
===''High School Musical'' fundraiser scam===
In June [[2008]], Zoo officials learned that a fundraiser they had planned for more than a year was a hoax. The event, planned for August 9, was intended to raise an estimated $150,000 to help the Zoo meet its operating costs for the rest of the year.
Executive director Danyelle Lantz said the Zoo was approached a year earlier by "someone posing as a representative"<ref name="hsm-pr">[http://ricksblog.biz/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/hsm-update.pdf Planned Zoo fundraiser victim of hoax]</ref> of ''[[Wikipedia:High School Musical|High School Musical]]'' stars [[Wikipedia:Zac Efron|Zac Efron]] and [[Wikipedia:Drew Seeley|Drew Seeley]]", saying he owned a production company affiliated with the Disney Channel and producing what appeared to be legitimate documents. The hoax was revealed only after Lantz attempted to confirm the date with official sources, who denied all knowledge of the zoo's fundraiser. "We're humiliated, and we're embarrassed, and we're hurt," said Lantz. "But more than that, we're concerned for [the hoax perpetrator]. We don't know at this point if it was malicious or if he's delusional."<ref>"Duped by Disney?" ''WPMI NBC 15'', July 2, 2008.</ref>
After the revelation, the Zoo board's executive committee held an emergency conference call to discuss the impending financial shortfall that would have been ameliorated by the fundraiser. Some of the options discussed included closing outright, moving the zoo to a more densely populated area, reducing the hours or days of operation, and asking county governments for tourism-related funding.<ref>"Zoo says cutbacks, closure may be imminent." ''Pensacola News Journal'', July 3, 2008.</ref> Zoo board member [[Lois Benson]] said of the hoax, "When you're on life support, you're very vulnerable to charlatans. This was one of those things you grasp at because it offered some promise. We're not done yet. ... The last thing we need is for The Zoo to close."<ref>"Zoo fundraiser a hoax." ''Pensacola News Journal'', July 2, 2008.</ref>
==References==
