The next Pueblo Zoo funding request is coming at the ballot box; how did we get here?
Michael Logerwell
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — The Pueblo Zoo is going to the ballot box this November to ask voters to approve a more sustainable source of funding.
“We may be forced to close in two to three years, if we don’t find more sustainable funding,” Abbie Krause, Executive Director of the Pueblo Zoo, said.
The Pueblo Zoo is proposing a 0.167% retail sales tax initiative for the November ballot in an effort to address continued funding issues. The measure aims to counteract funding cuts that began in 2024 and to increase operational costs.
The proposed tax equates to around 17 cents on every $100 spent in Pueblo. This initiative includes a five-year sunset clause, after which voters would re-evaluate and decide whether to renew the tax. Zoo leadership estimates it would generate $3.5 million.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Despite receiving accreditation, Pueblo Zoo faces budget concerns (Dec. 2024)
This isn’t the first time KRDO13 has covered financial problems at the Pueblo Zoo. Dating back to 2024, the Pueblo Zoo has had a budget shortfall.
“The zoo is always run on a very, very lean budget,” Krause said. However, that is becoming unsustainable. Krause admits their employee wages are uncompetitive, the 100-year-old facility is in desperate need of repairs, and the zoo needs to keep pace with modern zoological standards.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Pueblo Zoo faces budget shortfall (March 2025)
One of the more pressing costs is the outdated life-support system for animals, such as the water pumps for otters and penguins, which can run up to $60,000 each, according to officials.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Pueblo Zoo receives funding boost after difficult year, but support still needed (Nov. 2025)
Going to the voters wasn’t the first option zoo leadership considered. Krause says they’ve raised ticket prices, gone to donors, applied for grants, and hosted events at the zoo, but it hasn’t been enough. Even the funding boost it received from the Pueblo City Council can only sustain operations for so long.
“Even flatlining the budget is [that] we’re not keeping up with inflation and everything that we need to do for maintenance at the zoo,” Krause said.
In the zoo’s pitch to voters, Krause says they contribute almost $20 million per year in direct and indirect economic impact through jobs, tourism, and purchasing. The zoo also provides educational programming to more than 10,000 students annually. There’s also the cultural impact of having a world-class zoo in a smaller city that typically doesn’t have a zoo.
“We are a cultural amenity. We help recruit people to come here, and it’s something that people look forward to when they move here,” Krause said. “It’s not that we’re not looking for people necessarily to bail us out. We want to be a partner. We’re hoping that we’ll be around to also free up some [city] funds for security, fire, police, etc.”