© 2024 Boise State Public Radio
NPR in Idaho
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Apple's latest iOS (17.4) is preventing our livestreams from playing. We suggest you download the free Boise State Public Radio app & stream us there while we work to troubleshoot the issue.

Longtime Director Steve Burns Leaves Zoo Boise

Zoo Boise
Steve Burns

Just four months after he celebrated 20 years at Zoo Boise, Executive Director Steve Burns says he’s leaving the familiar attraction.

In May, Burns marked his 20-year anniversary at the zoo. He left a job at the Nature Conservancy in Washington D.C. to head up the Friends of Zoo Boise. After three and a half years, he took on the job of Executive Director, too.

Over the last 20 years, Burns has replaced most of the attractions at the zoo, and raised more than $18 million for capital improvements. The zoo is currently building a Gorongosa National Park exhibit that will feature baboons and Nile crocodiles. It’s also working on a new primate exhibit.

Burns also brought a mission of conservation to Zoo Boise. For the past ten years, the zoo has charged an extra 50-cent conservation fee from each admission ticket. Over time, more than $2 million has been raised to support wild animals in Idaho and around the world.

KTVB–TV reports Zoo Boise announced Tuesday that Burns is going to work for the Hogle  Zoo in Salt Lake City, Utah.

A nationwide search to replace Burns begins immediately.

Find Samantha Wright on Twitter @samwrightradio

Copyright 2017 Boise State Public Radio

As Senior Producer of our live daily talk show Idaho Matters, I’m able to indulge my love of storytelling and share all kinds of information (I was probably a Town Crier in a past life!). My career has allowed me to learn something new everyday and to share that knowledge with all my friends on the radio.

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.