A new Mr. Zoo

Honolulu Zoo is under construction.

Several projects are in the works, including installation of a new filtration system for the hippo exhibit and repaving of walkways, under the leadership of new zoo Director Baird Fleming.

Fleming, 41, took the reins of the zoo in late February, after serving as acting director and assistant director for three years.

He’s the fifth director to hold the post in five years, following the resignations of Stephen Walker, Manuel Mollinedo, Jeffrey Mahon and Jeffrey Wilkinson.

With a budget of approximately $5.1 million to work with this fiscal year, which ends June 30, Fleming said his top priority is to get the zoo’s accreditation renewed by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. The city-run institution was last reaccredited in 2012.

Association officials are expected to visit in November and issue their decision in March 2016, when the current accreditation expires. The team will consider zoo policies and practices, including education, conservation efforts and animal care.

The fact there have been five directors in five years doesn’t help the zoo’s case, but Fleming said he is confident the Waikiki attraction has a solid chance at earning the association’s approval.

"We have to work on a lot of things here, but much of the stuff is beyond our control," he said. "We’re going to give it our best shot and that’s it."

One of those things is funding, and the zoo has requested an additional $874,000 in operating funds from the city to finish the current fiscal year.

Of 2,500 zoos across the nation, only about 200 are accredited, he said. Accreditation offers the zoo access to animal exchange and species survival programs.

"It’s a badge of honor," said Fleming, a former wildlife veterinarian who grew up in Honduras.

On our recent visit, city crews were repaving walkways just a short stroll from the entrance and yellow tape closed off several areas around the stage lawn, including the newly installed Children’s Discovery Forest. The garden, made possible through a partnership with the nonprofit Hawai‘i Forest Institute, showcases culturally significant plants and trees that once grew near shoreline villages on Oahu.

Nearby, the frame of a former South American hut, which was damaged by high winds, is being transformed into a Hawaiian hale lai (house of ti). The zoo is seeking community donations of at least 100,000 ti leaves to cover it.

"One thing I feel that we’re lacking here at the zoo is Polynesian roots," said Fleming. "We don’t talk about Hawaii at a zoo where 70 percent of our visitors are from abroad. People, in particular the Japa­nese, are very interested in our culture whether that be past or present."

Fleming is also planning to bring Asian giant salamanders, which can grow up to 5 feet long, to the reptile and amphibian exhibit, now closed for renovations, by early next year.

In addition, Meadow Gold is planning an animal nursery in the Keiki Zoo barn to showcase milk drinkers. The elephants will be getting a new shade structure.

Once these projects are completed, Fleming hopes the zoo will be able to focus on bringing in new educational programs and additional animals.

Honolulu Zoo has many aging residents, among them Rusti the orangutan, who just turned 35. His companion, Violet, is 38. In January, the zoo euthanized Yasmin, a 24-year-old giraffe, due to complications from advanced age.

Fleming sees Hono­lulu Zoo’s ultimate role as educational.

"Every single animal you have is an animal ambassador, so you need to make sure they’re cared for with the best standards," he said. "Once a person gets up close to an animal, it transforms them, and from then on you’ve got them and they become a conservationist for life. That should be the role of every zoo."