DALLAS — Watching a troop of gorillas wander their Dallas Zoo enclosure on a recent weekday afternoon, Lisa New was reminded once again why she loves her job as its CEO.
It wasn't the marvel of the occasionally-humanoid great apes -- although the animals were the subject of her master's thesis -- but the wonder in the eyes of a visiting family watching them play.
"Those experiences and those connections can create a lifelong interest and love in wildlife," New said.
Fostering such a passion is now her full-time job as the first female leader of the Dallas Zoo in its 135-year history -- although her appointment comes after a critical moment for the South Dallas institution.
"I think it’s definitely a rebirth and renewal," she said. "Last year was a trying time."
In her first in-depth interview since taking over earlier this year, New described walking into a zoo traumatized by animal thefts in a high-profile crime spree, mourning the sudden loss of its former longtime leader and with an ambitious expansion plan in need of capital funding.
"Those headlines didn’t scare me," she said. "I knew of the professionalism of the zoo, I knew they were undergoing rigorous self-evaluation and finding opportunities to grow stronger."
Watch the full interview with Lisa New here:
A difficult 2023
The trouble for the Dallas Zoo started shortly after the new year began in 2023.
On Jan. 13, zookeepers discovered a cut in the fence enclosing the habitat of 3-year-old clouded leopard "Nova" and the cat nowhere in sight.
After seven hours of searching, they found her about 150 yards away within the zoo grounds and veterinarians gave her a clean bill of health.
But the discovery of a second cut fence launched a police investigation, which was followed by the theft of two emperor tamarin monkeys just weeks later.
The monkeys, named Bella and Finn, were found safe inside a closet at an abandoned building in Lancaster. -- and officers arrested Davion Irvin, 24, on charges of felony burglary and animal cruelty charges.
A judge later ruled Irving incompetent to stand trial and prosecutors recently dismissed the charges against him.
"Those incidents, in our zoo and aquarium community, it sent just shockwaves," New said.
She described it as a traumatic time for the zoo staff.
"It’s very rattling if you’ve had your home broken into or your pets jeopardized -- so you can imagine how we would feel about these endangered species and how vulnerable that makes you feel," she said.
New said the zoo has since increased security, added new fencing, installed 120 cameras and hired 24/7 security guards.
"A very friendly but visible presence," New said.
Compounding the difficult emotions following the crime spree, the zoo's longtime CEO Gregg Hudson died from cancer shortly after leading the staff through its response to the vandalism and theft.
New, who described Hudson as a mentor and friend, said the Dallas Zoo brought in counselors to help staff cope with the pain of the thefts and the loss of their leader.
"Morale was low," she said. "The staff did feel traumatized by all that."
New leader
New spent her entire career before moving to Dallas in Knoxville, Tenn., where she joined the zoo at an entry-level position. Working her way up the ranks, she served as CEO and president of Zoo Knoxville for 10 years.
Under her leadership, the zoo developed a campus master plan, a rebranding effort, a $39 million capital campaign and many construction projects.
"Lisa has been a visionary leader who changed the trajectory for Zoo Knoxville,” said Russ Watkins, incoming Chair of the Zoo Knoxville Board of Directors in a November press release. "She has laid a foundation that will ensure we continue to thrive, and she should be very proud of her legacy here in Knoxville."
For New, the move to Dallas doubled the size of the zoo and staff she worked with in Knoxville -- and the transition takes some getting used to.
"It’s a big ship," she said. "So I'm just trying to keep it going in the right direction while I gather all this information."
She said priorities include hiring a new head of HR and meeting with various groups of zoo employees, donors and city leaders.
Big plans
Support from city leaders and donors has already proved critical in New's short time in Dallas.
The zoo successfully lobbied for $30 million for zoo upgrades, security improvements and a new expansion to be included in the 2024 city bond -- which passed in early May with overwhelming voter support.
The money will allow the zoo to transform the old monorail section of the park with a new, half-mile boardwalk dubbed "Safari Trail." (Maintaining the monorail, New explained, became cost prohibitive.)
Safari Trail will open up 15 acres of mothballed zoo land -- and allow for the introduction of new animal habitats.
"We'll bring back rhinos for the first time in many years," New said. "Our intention is to put rhinos and cheetah to live together."
The new section is slated to open in 2027, she said.
The zoo also plans to start construction on a 580-spot parking deck near the DART rail -- and expand its Wild Earth Discovery Center preschool.
"There’s a lot of reason to be optimistic and excited," New said. "It was part of the reason that I came. A big reason that I came."
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