Under PressureJeffrey P. Bonner, pr

Under Pressure

Jeffrey P. Bonner, president and chief executive of the St. Louis Zoo, said he felt that pressure.

In 2006, Dr. Bonner assembled his senior curators — each in charge of a different class of animal — along with donors and city planners to help make painful choices.

Sea lions are doing fine in the wild for now, but the zoo, which is taxpayer subsidized, decided to spend $18 million on a new pool, expected to be completed next year, that will be filtered and ozonated for clarity. Why? Because sea lions are one of the most popular attractions and their home was decrepit. Money also had to be spent on new restrooms and extra parking, meaning that stated priorities like breeding space for endangered animals and a frozen pool for walruses were shelved.

“We are always balancing the public experiencing with conservation needs,” Dr. Bonner said. “If you ask me why I have camels, I would say that we need something interesting for people to see at the back of the zoo in winter, and they are always outside.”