Zoo problem

Here is a cartoon from today's Tampa Tribune:

The venerable president of the Lowry Park Zoo, Lex Salibury, has made a number of questionable decisions about his private venture Safari Wild, a wildlife safari resort outside of Lakeland that would give folks and upclose experience with animals in a more natural setting.

The problem is that Salisbury keeps using resources from the Zoo he runs, which is funded by taxpayers, to benifit his private business venture. For instance he wants to give zoo animals a break from their hectic life at Lowry Park by letting them wander Safari Wild's lands.

Lex deserves a little slack. From what I can gather, he transformed Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo from a laughing stock to one of the premier zoos in the country. Also it seems like many of his poor decisions are driven by a genuine concern for the animals. But when you are funded by taxpayers, you need to have genuine concern for their needs, and most importantly respect for the money they give you.