Reason Foundation  Reason Foundation  A Public-Private
Partnership Could Help the ABQ BioPark Zoo  Finding Ways to
Address Budget Deficits and Deferred Maintenance  Katie Furtick
and Harris Kenny November 19, 2012  In nature, endangered
animals fight for their lives against threats like poachers and
predators. In government-run zoos, they face a threat of a
different kind: budget woes. This problem has only gotten worse
with local governments facing harsh budget realities across the
U.S. in the years following the Great Recession. Meanwhile zoos
like the ABQ BioPark Zoo remain far below competing budget
priorities on the government food chain such as public safety
and public works. Nationally, public-private partnerships (PPPs)
have emerged as the preferred alternative to bare bones
operations, and should be considered as a streamlining tool for
Albuquerque as well.  Government-run zoos have a lot to lose in
economic downturns. According to CNNMoney, government funding
constitutes an average of 40 percent of