Animal care, health and treatment did NOT have anything to do with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, (AZA), decision not to renew the El Paso Zoo's Accreditation.
In April of 2023, a mystery surfaced at the El Paso Zoo when 14 prairie dogs went missing from their habitat. After their food was untouched and their habitat dug through, a prairie dog was discovered from a neighboring zoo in October. Zookeeper Joe Montisano suspected a predator was the cause and the zoo took steps to prevent a repeat incident.