If the animals at Saginaw Childrens Zoo could talk, they would
agree with tens of thousands of smiling kids that the zoos many
new educational exhibits and attractions are a lot of fun. The
animals might also say that privatizationthe transfer of
government-owned assets to the private sectoris the reason for
the zoos recent success and the better care and feeding they now
enjoy. Animals cant talk, of course, but visitors and employees
alike are amazed at the zoos transition from a neglected, city-
owned facility to a privatized powerhouse that draws eager
families from across the state. How did it happen? In 1996,
Saginaw officials turned over the ailing zoo to a private,
nonprofit association. Freed from city bureaucracy and politics,
the zoos new, private management raised $2 million in private
gifts to help hire seven more full-time workers, raise their
wages, add 50 new animals, and improve the animals medical care
and food preparation facilities. As a result, paid annual
attendance has jumped by more than